


Caged

by DaterTater



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:34:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 70,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24582400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaterTater/pseuds/DaterTater
Summary: Inspired by Margret Atwoods The Handmaid's Tale.Years after the fall of Raccoon City, the population has dwindled as the Umbrella Corporation released more death and destruction. Ada Wong is captured and learns that the zombies and virus were not the only evils Umbrella were preparing.
Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Ada Wong
Comments: 98
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

“another bomb just went off,” Jill shoved a hat into my hand. Her own eyes and mouth were covered by a shirt that had been fashioned into a full face mask. The riots had been happening on and off for the past two months, but Peace Street was the closest one to our apartment. 

“It’s bound to be over soon,” Claire said while peeking out the window. Her red pony tail was the only part of her that was not completely covered.

“If we don't leave now we might not get another chance,” this time it was Jill who spoke. “Claire you have to tuck your hair, it's a dead giveaway that you're a girl.”

Claire pulled her hair into the rest of her cap. In the past few weeks it had proven that being a girl was the most dangerous thing in the world. 

The Umbrella Corporation had fucked up. Big time. The destruction of that tiny town in the Arklay Mountains had only been the beginning. The pharmaceutical company had its hand in several large profile drugs, but when women who were on birth control started dying in the streets, people became angry. When babies started being born horribly disfigured people started to riot. Umbrella had a lot of questions to answer, but when the world put the spotlight on them they all seemed to vanish into thin air. There was no one to yell at. People got sick, cities started to burn. The female population dwindled. The women that were still around were being rounded up and forced into what the government was calling protective custody. However videos started to surface of what protective custody really was. You don't protect people in a cage. 

What made things worse was it was not only the United States, the Umbrella Corporation had successfully killed more that three fourths of the female population on the planet. The male population was on the decline as well. It was apparently easier to kill those who demanded answers. 

And just like that the Umbrella Corporation was back. They claimed that they had the answers. They created this terrible disease and they had luckily been able to find a vaccine that would stop the deaths. The CDC and the US government had no choice but to turn to them. 

However, even with the deaths stopping, women were still being picked up. Last month Umbrella resurfaced and suddenly had all of the answers. It was obvious that they had players throughout the government, because Umbrella was suddenly calling the shots. 

“Chris is supposed to meet us at the cabin in 4 hours. We have to go now. He won't wait,” Jill finished wrapping her hands in the thick knuckle tape. 

“He's my brother Jill. He wouldn't just leave us here," Claire seemed insulted at Jill's implication. I couldn't blame Jill for being so worried, Chris and Jill had known each other in the beginning when everything started happening. Chris had decided to go to Canada along with Barry to try and secure a safe house for the rest of us. But he made it out along with the last group of refugees that were allowed into the country. The borders closed once cities started rioting. Although she never talks about it, it was clear that Jill felt resentment towards her partner. 

“We don't want to take a chance.”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. 

The three of us fell silent. 

I looked at Jill and Claire, but they were equally as confused as I was. We had paid the landlord extra in order to keep our existence quiet. As far as anyone should have known the apartment was vacant. 

“Officer i promise you the three individuals in this apartment are all women. They have been hiding, and I am pretty sure they are armed.” the nasally voice of our landlord, Salazar, could be heard through the door. I never trusted that little weasel, and now I knew why. There was another knock, this one louder and more forceful. 

That was our cue. As quietly as possible, we grabbed the few belongings we could carry on our shoulders, and ran to the fire escape. Jill squeezed out first. Claire next. There was a bang on the door. 

“This is the UBC. Open the door or we will use force.” The UBC were Umbrellas soldiers. They were the ones responsible for the woman who were disappearing off the street. 

“Ada the map,” Jill pointed at the counter. I looked back to see that I had left the map sitting there. Claire teetered between inside and outside of the window.

“I'll get it! Claire go!” I ran to the counter just in time to hear the splintering of wood. The cheap wood crumbled easily. The counter was next to the door and I had 5 seconds to decide if I should turn around and make a run for it with the other two. If I did we wouldn't have a map and there would be no way for us to know how to get to Chris. Not to mention it would give away our position. If I went for the map I risked getting caught. 

“Jill what do we do?” I could hear the fear in Claire's voice, and it was the reassurance I needed. I sprinted to the counter and clutched the map in my hand. I looked up in time to see the face of my enemy. He had made his way through the door and looked pissed that he had had to go through all the effort for one woman. Most of his face was hidden, but I locked eyes with him. They were dark and angry.

“Ada run!” Jill's voice echoed through the apartment. He looked to see Claire and Jill standing in the window. His anger turned into sick satisfaction once he realized that Salazar was right there were three women he could capture. 

He took a step towards me, but I was already running for the window. 

“There's three of them! Do not kill them, we need them to be alive!” I assumed he was the captain because when he spoke everyone else started moving. I could hear at least 3 other pairs of boots stomp into the apartment. I made it to the window, and began to step through. 

I couldn't help the scream that came out of my mouth when I was jerked back by someone's grip. His hand was big enough to wrap around my whole bicep. 

“Jill take it and go! Don't wait for me!” I shoved the map towards the girls and I saw them grab the map. They tried to pull me back through the window, but that only tightened the man's hold on my arm. 

“Men! Down stairs! They are trying to escape!” the captain yelled. 

“GO NOW!” Jill and Claire let go of me. I couldn't see through their masks, but I knew that the same tears that were creeping out my eyes were in theirs. The last image I had of them was their bodies running down the fire escape. I saw Claire's red ponytail fall from her cap. 

I fought tooth and nail looking for all of the soft spots of the male anatomy in an attempt to keep the leader distracted. However, his whole body was covered in armor and it was futile. He got me onto the ground, his knees finding their way over my arms. His full weight over me I continued to kick my legs, but there was no use in fighting. I was caught. 

“Stupid bitch,” he reached into his vest and pulled out a syringe and ripped the cap off. He plunged the needle into my arm and I tried to scream, but whatever had entered my system worked fast. The last thing I remember was hearing the radio from my captors hip radio.

“We lost sight of them captain,” as I sank into darkness I felt a smile on my face. Jill and Claire had escaped.


	2. Assignment

The water was scalding, but it felt good to feel something on my skin aside from the cold tile floor of the lab cell. 

The last time I had gotten a shower was the first day that I was brought into the underground labs. It wasn't so much a shower as it was just me being hosed down with disinfectant in a room of 7 other women that had been captured the same day. It had to have been at least 6 months since the day that I had been captured. The image of Claire's red pony tail falling from her cap was still fresh in my mind. I often closed my eyes and tried to imagine what they might be doing. Assuming they were not captured and taken to another facility, I imagine that they got to see trees again. Feel grass beneath their feet. Wind on their skin.

As the water runs down my body I try to remember what I look like. The lab was dark and cold. It was probably at some point filled with bright lights and people, but since the end of the world, the lights were constantly flickering and the heat seemed to me low on the list of things that needed to be fixed because it was always cold. There were walls and needles and not much else. I caught my reflection on the glass of a window on my way into the shower, and was confused by what I saw. My body was no longer toned and muscular like before. My posture was crooked and my hair was covering most of my face. 

My hair had grown out to my shoulders, and I had not been able to so much as run a comb through it since I was captured. The skin on my hands and knuckles were bruised. Whatever it was that they were injecting me with made me bruise very easily. My body no longer felt strong, the only daily exercise I had received was when i was herded into different rooms with my fellow captors. My skin, once fair and flawless, was now sullen and scarred. 

“Times up,” the guard in the shower room spoke and startled me. I was not allowed to be alone, even for a shower. I was used to it. Even when I thought I was alone there was alway someone watching me. They had to make sure that I was not a danger to myself or others. 

Which was why I had been in the lab for longer than the other woman I had entered with. It did not take long for me to punch one of the guards in the face for putting a hand a little to high up on my thigh. It had cost me a few weeks in solitary, and a few extra months in the underground labs. The woman i had come in with had left to what the scientists called their "assignments" and a new batch of subjects were brought in. 

I turned the water off, the cold air hitting me instantly and causing a shiver. It did not matter how long I lived in the cold dampness of the labs, my body would always crave warmth.

“May I have a towel?” I asked, using my arms to cover as much of my body as I could. I was used to being watched, but the look on the guards face made me uncomfortable. For the most part, the scientist, nurses, and doctors were all male. Even before i came underground men were becoming more dangerous. Even though he is not allowed to touch me, the look in his eyes makes my skin crawl.

“Outside,” he grunted at me. He waited for me to walk through the door. Even though I was naked and exposed, my reputation in the lab preceded me, and not even Hungry Eyes, my guard, was willing to walk with his back to me.

Outside the bathroom was a nurse waiting with a scratchy towel. There was a line of other women who were also waiting to bathe. These were newer girls and although we were exiting the labs together, I had not gotten to know them too well. There was one girl who I have gotten to know, a short blond with big brown eyes who cried and called out for her parents while she slept. I didn't know her name, but I remembered her from before we were captured. She worked in the library down the street where I would stop by from time to time. She always seemed sweet and kind.

The women I had come in with had left the labs already. They had received assignments or been requested before me. I envied them for a while until the new ones came in and starting talking about what was happening above ground in the new world. 

The new world was thousands of feet above the ground. I feared what I would see when I emerged. The newer girls had talked about the ruins of what was once the city. After I was captured, bombs were dropped and those who survived were clinging to Umbrella as they helped rebuild what had been destroyed. 

Food supplies dwindled, but luckily Umbrella had the answer. People were sick, Umbrella had the answer. Populations dwindled, Umbrella had the answer. 

“Ladies keep the line moving. Continue down the hallway to receive your uniforms,” the head researcher, Dr. Annette Birkin, was watching over her subjects. 

The steady line of girls going into and out of the showers were all familiar with her. She was in charge of making sure that we were all healthy enough. She prepped our bodies and pumped us full of medicine to keep us quiet and healthy. Tests were run to make sure that our reproductive systems were in tip top shape. Hormones that made us swollen and regulated our menstrual cycles were pumped into us. It was the opposite of birth control. I had overheard her saying that it would make us twice as fertile even if it made us twice as emotional. I had rolled my eyes at that. 

Of course the women in the labs were emotional; we were prisoners in a dying world. 

Overall, Annette Birkin was not too scary. Although she seemed off, she at least valued our lives enough to keep us somewhat fed. She insisted that in order to reproduce we needed to be healthy, and that meant we needed to have at least two meals a day. She even got us some exercise in the form of walks down the hallway. 

Those ended though when one woman made a run for it and knocked down two guards. I as she was injected with a sedative and dragged into the elevator that led to the lower labs. 

After that no one tried to run, but that didn't stop them from inserting tracking tiles beneath the skin on our shoulder. 

It was her husband, William Birkin that scared everyone.

Despite the destruction of thousands of cities. Despite the millions of people dead, Umbrella could not keep away from its experiments. 

Reproduction was important, but if you only had one good ovary, or if you caused too much trouble, your body was sent even further into the underground labs. Those women were not seen again. Rumor was that the deeper level of the labs held both men and women and they were continuing human experiments. Although those labs were further down, you could still hear the occasional scream of those poor souls who were sent down there. Even though I had punched a guard in the face, my two good ovaries had proven me worthy of being kept alive, and not sent down to become one of William Birkin's experiments. 

I continued down the hallway with my guard. The guards down here were really just slightly stronger and bigger nurses. They didn't carry guns or baton, but they did keep a syringe with sedative in it just in case. The hallway was white and sterile, but there was more light than there had been in my cell. 

I walked through the double doors at the end of the hall and entered into a sort of processing room. Here were some other girls. In all, there were about 20 of us. Male nurses sat behind desks and issued us our new clothes for going above ground. 

“Number?” The nurse at the first table asked me. He didn't even glance up from his clipboard. 

“0375,” The number had been assigned to me the day that I was captured, and taken underground. I had not heard my real name spoken since Jill yelled it. 

The nurse seemed to remember my number. I was the only prisoner who had punched a guard and not been sent to William Birkin.

“Here is your uniform. You are to wear it every day. Next table will get you your pajamas and shoes. You are to clean your uniform every three days. Pajamas every six.” he glanced up at me from above his clipboard wanting to catch a glimpse of the lucky prisoner. 

At the next table I picked up my pajamas and then took my new belongings to a chair and began to change. The other girls in the room were either dressed, or in the process of getting dressed. Style was definitely not what they were going for. The dresses had multiple layers of stiff white fabric that went all the way down to my toes. It reminded me of a hospital gown. The underwear looked like something you would buy in a back of eight at a department store, but they were clean and therefore might as well have been silk on my skin. Over the scratchy white dress was a long red vest thing. It ran all the way down to my toes as well, and had buttons that ran down the front and it took me a moment to get them all done. The worst part was the stiff cap that was supposed to cover all my hair. 

“How do I put this on,” I whispered to the girl beside me. She was a younger girl, maybe 18 years old. She eyed me nervously. She had already put her hat on and opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off. 

“Hey! No talking!” my guard barked at me. 

The girl quickly put her head down. Her hands crossed across her body, and eyes fell to her feet. 

Where we were going was a mystery. No one really knew. We knew that our new job in the new world was reproduction. There were rumors of auctions and prostitution, but it was all speculation. If we asked we were typically met with a slap across the face.

I figured out the cap. It clung tightly to my scalp and I had to tuck my hair into it. After dressing we had to wait. The rest of he girls trickled in. The grime and dirt had been washed off all of us, our skin was cleaned, and something about the starched white of our uniforms made us look like a herd of sheep. 

Annette BIrkin walked into the room.

“Ok ladies," everyone turned to look at her, "You are going to be going above ground today. For some of you it has been about six months since you last saw were up there,” I knew that she was only talking about me. I had been underground the longest. “Try to breathe as evenly as possible or you will pass out,” perhaps a part of her felt bad for what she was doing because what she said next sounded like it was supposed to be reassuring. “Each and every one of you have been blessed with the opportunity to save our planet. We have prepared you, and it is your time to bring children into the world. The new world. Your children will pave the way for science and humanity.”

Ok so maybe Annette was not as sane as I thought she was. What she was saying sounded like the rantings of a mad woman. 

As soon as she said it the girls started whispering.

“You are expected to follow orders. Anyone who tries to escape or rebel will be brought back here and sent straight to Dr. Birkin in the lower labs.”

“You can't force us to do this you know! This is so wrong there's no way you can get away with this!” a girl in front of me started to yell. She was quickly grabbed by two of the guards and pushed to the back of the room and back through the double doors that led into the lab. She was not going to be allowed to leave today. I silently hoped that she had two good ovaries. 

“What the fuck is happening,” the girl beside me whispered under her breath. 

“Do not talk to anyone unless you are talked to first. The world is a different place, but you girls are gifts. The men who you have been assigned to need you as much as you need them. Together you will create a new breed of humans. Your genetic makeup has proven you worthy of greatness," she lowered her voice for the next part, "We have done some things, all of us, that we aren't proud of. We all have a hand in why the world turned out the way it is. This is our way of writing those wrongs,” Annette said with a half hearted grin. 

I couldn't quite tell if she was still talking to us. It seemed as though she was talking to herself. Trying to tell herself something so that she would believe it. 

“When I call your name step forward and file into the elevator behind me. Remember the name of your assignment.” Annette looked down at her clipboard. 

“Number 0402: Brad Vickers.” the girl who who I had asked about the caps stepped out. I heard her murmur under her breath the name of her assignment. 

“0403: Osmund Saddler,” the girl I had known from the library with the big brown eyes stepped forward. Annette went through the rest of the list. Right when I thought I was going to be left out she called out, “Number 0375: Albert Wesker.” 

I walked forward. The name was familiar. I had heard it before. Maybe on the news years ago? I stepped forward into the elevator 

Inside the elevator, along with the rest of the woman, were guards. These guards were different from the ones I had become used to. These guards were covered head to toe in thick black armor. They had guns strapped to their backs and batons on their hips. They resembled the officers that had broken into our apartment and captured me. 

Before the elevator doors closed I heard Annette say something to one of the nurses.

“Poor girl shouldn't have been such a hassle down here. She was assigned the toughest Commander up there.”

As the elevator started to move up, i suddenly had a feeling that i was going to miss the underground.


	3. Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys this chapter is going to introduce a certain blue eyed rookie i know we all love. I worked really hard on this chapter and I think it might be my favorite so far. I know that it is kind of slow, but I think it really picks up some traction in this chapter! Please let me know what you think! I really appreciate feedback and would love to know what your guys think about it so far!

Chapter Three: Silence

The day was warm. My skin soaked in the sun. 

“You hear about Katy?” Claire was sprawled out in the grass beside me. Her hands shading her eyes from the sun.

“No what happened?” I asked. I was pulling at the frayed ends of the blanket that we were on. 

“She's pregnant,” she said. 

“Oh no,” I replied. 

In another world, it might have been exciting news. Katy was in her mid twenties. She was in a relationship that was loving and supportive, and she worked a good job. However, the world was a crazy place right now. Carrying a baby full term was rare and even when the baby was born it did not live for very long. 

“I think it will be ok. It's only a matter of time before there's a cure for what's been going around," Claire said sitting up. 

“Yeah,” I replied, but I couldn't help but think about the reality of the situation. 

“What about you Ada? What’s been going on with work? Anything come up recently?” she sat up and nudged me with a smirk on her face. 

My job sent me many different places. 

If you asked Claire if I was an art collector. I traveled often because I was going to art galleries and mingling with the handsome and rich.   
My real job was a bit more... complicated.

Claire was a smart girl, I'm sure she suspected that my job was more than what I said it was, but she knew me well enough to know that I didn't like to delve too far into my professional life. 

“No nothing anytime soon. They banned traveling,” a part of me wanted to let Claire know what I really did. That my travels were more than just going to parties and talking to people about art.   
But I knew that even though we knew each other for years I could never really tell her the truth about my occupation. Especially now. It would be too dangerous. 

“Well I'm planning on driving out to Raccoon City soon. Chris has straight up been ignoring me. I can't even get a hold of Jill,” Claire tried to sound casual, but I could hear the worry in her voice. Ever since her brother's unexpected suspension from STAARS he had been difficult to reach. Claire feared he had gotten depressed and was feeling like a failure. He hadn't even told her why the suspension occurred. 

“I'm sure he's fine. You know Chris, he’s probably just trying to figure out how to get back to work. Who knows maybe he and Jill finally get some one on one time that they have been needing. ” Claire rolled her eyes at my mention of Chris and Jill. At this point we were all tired of their will-they-won't-they relationship. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the warm summer day. There were only a few left before it got cold. Neither of us had work anytime soon so there was a lot of free time for both of us.   
We didn't go home until we saw the protesters. They gathered at the park with signs painted with things like “We need answers” and “Where is my wife?”. They were peaceful for the most part, but we didn't want our day of relaxation to be interrupted by noise. 

I didn't pay attention then. Even in my line of work, I ignored the signs. Maybe if less people had been silent things would be different. Maybe a few more voices could have changed something. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We were packed into a bus, and it pulled into a school parking lot. 

The drive from the hospital to the school was short, but took longer than it should have because of all the rubble. Bombs badly gone off in the area. Twisted metal and concrete made it difficult to maneuver the bus. 

We filed out of the bus and into the school gymnasium where we sat in plastic chairs arranged into rows. 

The clack of boots hitting the polished floor of the gym echoed around us. An older woman had entered the gym. 

“It is such an honor to see you here with us today,” her voice cut through the silence of the gym. The guards were lined up by the bleachers. Their guns were drawn in front of them. 

“My name is Ophelia Spencer, and I want each of you to think of this day as the first day of your new lives. You have come into the new world and as such each and everyone of you are born again,” 

Oh great another crazy person. 

“Not long ago, something terrible happened. A terrible disease ripped through our country and destroyed the one thing that we needed in this world,” she gestured to the crowd, “women. I’m sure that Mrs. BIrkin has already let you know that you have been prepped for the single most important job in our world. Bearing children,” she started walking towards us. She was a smaller woman, she looked like a bird. Her hair was a halo of wires surrounding her head. She extended her hand to the girl closest to her. 

“What is your name?” Ophelia asked the girl.

“Caro…” she began to answer but Ophelia cut her off.

“NO! Your new name. Who have you been assigned to?” she was one level below yelling. 

“Carl Henry,” she said. Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Then your name is now Ms. Henry,” Ophelia touched her cheek, and it ran down her face and arm until she was gripping her hand, “Dear child have you had any children,” she asked. She was gripping her hand so hard I could see her cringe. 

“Yes... “ this was news to me. I suppose I just assumed that everyone was in the same boat as me. No children, no family, someone no one would be too worried about finding. Hearing that this girl, who I had spent months with underground, made me sad. Who were all these women? How had this happened to us? 

“And did they survive? When the virus tore through the country and then the world. Did they live?” Ophelia asked. I didn't have any kids, but if I did and someone asked me that question I might have punched them in the face. 

“She… no she... “ her head fell into her hands, “no she passed, she got sick and she…,” 

“Shhhh child. Do not speak any more of what has passed,” she turned to the rest of us "The world was filled with weak and sick people, but now thanks to each and everyone of you, we have a chance to make sure that what happened does not happen again.” The girl whose hand she had help was still crying, "Your role is making sure that the men who carry the antibodies for this disease pass their genetics on to the new generation of children. You are all expected to bear their children and together the tragedies can stop. We can rebuild,” 

In another world, where there wasn't a line of men with guns, I would have run out of the room. This was beyond crazy.

“The virus tried, but was unsuccessful in eliminating all women. At your new home you will be accompanied by women who do not have favorable bloodlines. They don't carry the antibodies for the virus, but they are pure and have survived this disease. Think of yourself as an extension of these families. You, your commanders, and their wives are all necessarily pieces of this puzzle, and you will work together in saving our planet,” 

I looked around the room to see if anyone was buying this shit. Everyone was either watching or staring at their hands in their lap.

The rest of the afternoon was spent learning all about our new roles. We were to be seen not heard. We were allowed to speak to those who worked in our new homes, or one another. We weren't allowed to leave our homes unless we were accompanied by someone. Above all, once a week we were required to lie on our backs and breed with our commander. 

I felt bile in my throat, and the room started to spin. 

Before I could even get a chance to cry I was being herded out the door with the rest of the sheep. We stood outside as a line of black suvs pulled into the parking lot of the school. Men stepped out.

“These are the Officers. They are the right hand men of your commanders,” Ophelia explained to us. 

They were wearing all black and reminded me of secret service men. Starting at the front of the line they called out our new names.

“Ms. Wesker,” my new name was called. I stepped forward. The officer that had called my name was much younger than I expected. He was tall, maybe in his mid 20s with blond hair and blue eyes. He opened the door for me and I stepped in. I watched as the car pulled out of the parking lot and I was driven to my new home. 

The sun was still shining, but the warmth no longer seeped into my skin. I felt cold and trapped.

After driving for about an hour we entered a gated community. The Officer flashed a badge and the gate opened for us. 

“Are you cold?” he asked me. I looked into the rear view mirror. I caught his eyes for only a moment before he put them back on the road. 

“Yes,” I responded. I was, but I knew that the car heater was not enough to take the chill out of my bones. 

He turned the dial and the car started to heat up. 

“My name is Leon, well you will technically call me Officer kennedy,” he sounded like he had made a mistake. Like I wasn't supposed to know his first name, but I found comfort in knowing is first name.

“My name is Ms. Wesker,” I responded. My voice was monotone. A sour taste was left in my mouth at the sound of my new identity  
He didn't say anything in response. 

It occurred to me suddenly that there was no guard in the car with me. There was no syringe that I could see.There was nothing that was standing in the way of me and Officer Kennedy’s neck. I could wrap my arm around his neck and strangle him and run away. 

However, it also occurred to me that even though I couldn't see anyone watching, that didnt mean there was not an eye waiting for me to lash out. Or listening. Even if I did over power Officer Kennedy, which was doubtful considering my body was not as strong as it once was, I wouldn't make it a mile before someone apprehended me.  
We continued the rest of the drive in silence. The gated community was large, there were stores and homes. All of them looked to be pretty fancy. The bombing and rioting had not touched this neighborhood, which led me to wonder why. 

Our destination was pushed far into the community. It was nestled inside tall trees and the long driveway there told me that it was very secluded. 

Before we pulled into the gate, Officer Kennedy pulled off to the side of the road. There was no one on the road, and we were in the cover of a few trees. Neighbors might not be able to see the car.

My body tensed, why had he parked his car where someone couldn't see? I was a sitting duck in this car if he decided to climb into the back and hurt me. 

But he didn't. He simply sat for a moment. He glanced in the rearview mirror. I met his eyes and, unlike the guard in the shower room, Kennedys eyes did not seem hungry, they seemed sad.   
“If you need a minute to cry now's your opportunity. Lady Excella hates when the new guests cry. I can give you a few minutes if you need,” his voice was full of pity. 

I couldn't really understand what or why he was doing this. 

“I'm not going to cry,” I responded. His eyes fell away from me and there was a subtle hint of a smile on his face. 

“Alright , well I have to warn you today is going to be by far the worst. My orders are to protect the Wesker bloodline, but you have to understand,” he looked at me again. This time his eyes and his tone were pleading, “when it comes down to it I have to protect him and his wife.”

I understood what he was saying. If I tried to hurt or attack or run away he would have to use force against me. I glanced down and saw very clearly the outline of a gun tucked into the waistband of his black slacks. 

“Don't worry. I spent long enough in those labs that I don’t want to go back anytime soon,” I looked back out the window. It was true. I had been deprived of fresh air and sky for long enough. The thought of riding that elevator and learning what experiments William was working on made me scared enough not to try anything.

There was a moment of silence. Officer Kennedy reached for the key in the ignition and went to turn it, but I suddenly remembered something.

“Wait,“ I said maybe a little too loud because he flinched,” can you roll the window down just a little bit?” he looked at me. 

“I just told you what would happen if you tried...” he started.

“I'm not going to jump out the window. I just have not gotten a good enough look at the sky yet. I’d like to feel the warmth from the sun for a second.”

He hesitated, but decided that there was no harm in it. He rolled the window down and I stuck my hand out. I felt the warmth of the sun instantly. It filled the pores in my hand and traveled all the way through my veins and into my head and body. Even though it was cool outside my body felt alive. I peeked my head out and looked at the sky. It was clear and blue the way it can only be in the last few days before fall completely took over. 

The car started and I waited for Officer Kennedy to roll the window up, but he didn't. He drove forward, still covered by the trees, and let me enjoy the feeling of the wind on my hand and face.   
Something inside me sparked alive. The feeling of the elements on me awakened me. I had been sleeping. While in the labs, and even before I was captured, I had allowed things to happen that I shouldn't have.

“I have to roll the window up now,” Officer Kennedy said. 

I pulled my hand back in. Before all of this happened, in my line of work, there was always a way to your goal. Even in the toughest of situations there was something you could do to free yourself and walk out smelling like roses. 

I wouldn't let another cage keep me from my goal. 

Despite Officer Kennedys warning, I promised myself that I was not going to die in this cage. I would not stay silent. Not again.


	4. The Weskers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me to long to update! Me and my husband just bought a house and moving has taken up all of my time. that and we went camping for a few days and there was no internet. But I'm back and really excited to be uploading again.  
> I feel really weird about this chapter. I feel like it gets really dark, but theres no way around it! So maybe trigger warning for this chapter? Let me know what you guys think! I love hearing back from you guys!

The inside of the Wesker Mansion is cold and dark.

Just about every wall is a dark grey, almost black, color and the floors are a dark hardwood. It might have been beautiful at some point, but whoever is in charge of the interior design was clearly inspired by Count Dracula himself. The curtains are all a thick heavy material, no doubt something that is made specifically for blocking out sunlight. I start to wonder if maybe I am in a house of vampires.

Kennedy leads me into the living room. The only bit of decor in it is the red and while Umbrella logo that had been embedded into the marble floor. The symbol made my skin crawl. Years ago, when Umbrella first started the symbol was slapped on almost every medicine, skin care product, and wellness serum. After Raccoon City the logo all but vanished off the face of the earth. Right before I was taken underground I remember seeing the symbol slowly make its way back. The emblem was etched onto the riot gear of the U.B.C.S as Umbrella played savior, cleaning up the mess that they had created.

Waiting in the living room is a woman. I cant see her face because she has her head down, and looks like she is doing her absolute best not to be seen. I wonder how long she was waiting there. What her job was. Why she wasn't in the labs with me.

“Abby, would you let the Weskers know that we are here,” Officer Kennedy says. His voice echoed around the room.

The girl, Abby nods her head. She scurried off down a hallway leaving Kennedy and I alone. I don't feel uncomfortable around Kennedy, however I don't trust him at all. Regardless of him letting me enjoy the sunlight for a few moments, he has made it very clear where his allegiance lies.

He made it clear that if I tried anything funny he would have to kill me. Which is fine. I know that once I find a way to escape I would not hesitate to kill him as well.

That doesn't stop me from looking over at him. His kindness in the car was something I had not experienced in months. I wished he would say something. Make me not feel alone, but I know he wont. What would he say anyways?

Hey there I know your life is going to get really terrible, but the weather is supposed to be really nice tomorrow.

Kennedy seems tense. I knew that he was the guard or the Weskers, but I hadn't thought until now that maybe he was just as much a prisoner as I was. What had he been doing before all of this? His jawline suggests a model, but that wouldn't make sense considering the gun on his hip. So maybe he was in the military at some point. That would explain why he was the personal guard for Albert Wesker and his family. There's no way he was a prisoner in a lab at some point. He looks well fed and fit. Definitely military. Maybe secret service.

My confidence that I had gained in the car from the sunlight is dwindling. My plans of escape seem so stupid now that I’m in such a large house. However in my previous line of work I learned that there is always a way out of sticky situations. You just have to be patient and wait for the right opportunity.

Abby comes back into the room. I hadn't noticed before but she wears a dress that is similar to mine only hers is different shades of brown. Mrs. Ophelia had said that there were other women, but they hadn't been able to bear children. Those women were used as servants who would cook and keep the homes. I guess Abby must be one of those women.

I feel bad for Abby. I don't know her, but I do know that as far as pecking order goes she's on the bottom. Right next to me.

Except I am slightly more useful because of my uterus.

I hear two pairs of footsteps coming towards us. Kennedy straightens up and Abby seems to try to sink further into the walls.

The Weskers are a powerful people. You can tell just by looking at them. Their presence makes the room feel even colder than before.

The woman looks like she came right from the front page of a Sports Illustrated magazine. For all the layers of clothing that they have myself and Abby in, it would appear that the wives don't have to abide by the same rules of modesty. She is wearing a dress that plunges down her chest revealing her cleavage and a toned stomach. The fabric clings to her body and leaves little to the imagination.

Before all of this happened it was something that I might have considered wearing. I was never one to try to hide my body. Her dark hair is pulled up into a tight bun on the top of her head and she has a full face of makeup that highlights her large eyes and lips. Her skin looks like porcelain. She looks perfect.

Where Mrs Wesker is soft and sultry, Mr. Wekser is all lines and sharp edges. His skin is tanned and even underneath his suit you can see his muscles flexing. His hair is blond and slicked back revealing a sharp hairline. His eyes are covered by a pair of dark sunglasses and I wonder if he can even see me because of how dark the room already is.

“Welcome to our home,” Mrs. Wesker speaks first. I've known plenty of women in my life and I recognize her tone immediately. She is the kind of woman who is going to be nice when you first meet her, but will snap in an instant and be your worst nightmare. I try to imagine what she might have been before all of this happened. Maybe a model? A magazine editor? Something that required her making others feel less than.

I don't say anything. What am I supposed to say? Thank you for letting me be your prisoner?

Apparently I was supposed to say something because in an instant she is screaming at me.

“How rude! We just got rid of a rat with no manners and now we have to deal with another one!” I see Abby flinch when she yells. I don't dare look over at Kennedy in fear that if I look away from Mrs. Wesker she will sink her perfectly manicured fingers into my neck.

“Excella, that is no way to talk to our new guest,” Wesker’s voice is calm and even. It has just the slightest hint of annoyance in it.

“It is unfair Albert, Birkin sends us women who have no right being here,” she stops abruptly. Wesker has raised his hand towards her. He doesn't raise it to strike her or anything like that he simply raises it and all of the sudden Excella is still and silent.

“The ceremony does not require you to be present. Do I need to send you to your quarters or are you going to behave?” He lowers his hand and Excella relaxes.

“I will behave,” she says quietly. She eyes me out of the corner of her eye. She hates me for sure, but that's fine because I decide I don’t like her either.

“You must excuse my wife. We have had a bad experience with our last guest,” he says to me. I have a feeling that their last house guest probably didn't do anything wrong, but I file the information away to maybe ask Abby next time I get a chance.

“Dr. Birkin did say that you were a very good specimen which is why we requested you. You must understand that the Weksers hold a lot of power in this new world and continuing our bloodline is of the utmost importance,”

My skin crawls when he says this. They requested me? They had data about me no doubt. They hand selected me.I remember why I'm here and what my new job is, and I start to panic. The fact that my new job requires me to have children with this guy is terrible, but somehow the idea that I was carefully selected by this man and his wife makes me even more sick to my stomach. I feel like an animal that has been bred and selected. My desire to run and scream and punch grows, but I remember Kennedy's warning to me.

I don't want to die on this cold hard marble floor.

“The ceremony will begin at 7 until then you will wash up. I trust you have been informed on what your duties are?``Wesker asks. Even with his eyes covered I can still feel like my gaze boring into me. Observing me like a cat observes a mouse. Two can play at that game so I stare right back at him. Looking into the black lens of his glasses and seeing myself. I try not to look as scared as I feel.

“Yes sir,'' I reply. Not wanting to get yelled at by Excella again for not responding.

“Very good. Come Excella,” he turns on his heel to walk away and Excella gives me one more death glare before following behind him.  
Abby comes out of hiding and walks up the stairs. She stops when she realizes that I'm not following her and then gestures to me to come.  
I look at Kennedy.

“Abby will show you to your room and help you get ready. She’s the best servant there is but she can't talk. That doesn't mean she can't be great company,” he smiles up at Abby and she smiles back. It's not a forced smile she seems to genuinely feel comfortable around Kennedy. I can’t help but think that maybe his jawline has something to do with it.

I follow Abby up several flights of stairs until we reach the attic. She opens the door and takes my small bag of belongings. The room is larger than my cell in the labs. There is a twin sized bed and a small dresser pushed to one corner and on the other wall there is a window with curtains over it. Abby unpacks by bag for me and then opens the door to another small room. There is a shower and a toilet, she shows me my toothbrush. She seems really happy about the toothbrush which leads me to believe that maybe she doesn't have one, or toothbrushes are a luxury in this new world.

She shows me how the shower works and gives me a small white bar of soap. She reaches for my dress and starts undoing the buttons.

“Wow there baby I can do it myself,” I say pushing at her hands.

She flinches and and can't help but feel bad for swatting at her.

She motions as if to say that she is supposed to help me.

“I can take a shower on my own,'' I try to smile at her, but her eyebrows are furrowed. I'm not understanding something.

She motions at the tub and then at me. She mimes her watching and then points to me and then pinches her nose and puffs out her cheek. I understand.

“Oh I see your supposed to stay in here to make sure I don't try anything funny in the bath,”

She nods and there is sadness in her eyes.

“Is that what happened to the last woman that was here?”

She nods to say no. Her hands on her hips and she gives me a look that says she would never allow it to happen.

Even though she doesn't say much she is definitely very expressive

I smile back at her. If it didn't happen here it must have happened somewhere else in the house otherwise why would she even think about that.

“Well you can stay and guard me, but can you turn around? I just met you after all,” I say jokingly. She nods and turns around. Her hands find the pockets in her dress and she rocks onto her tiptoes.

I decided I like abby. She looks to be around my age, maybe a little younger. Kennedy was right; she is a good companion. Even if she doesn't say a word I feel like her and I have a lot in common. Both of us are prisoners after all.

I bathe quickly even though it feels strange. My second shower in a day. It feels like a luxury. The soap has no smell, but it leaves my skin soft and clean.

When I step out Abby reaches for a towel out from under the sink. It is not scratchy like the ones in the labs, it is soft and fluffy.

Abby helps me dress and then we wait. I sit on the bed. Its softer than the mattress roll in the labs. I actually have a pillow and I can't wait to bury my face in it and scream later. The room is far enough up that it is smiley warmer than the rest of the house.

Abby doesn't have a watch on, but she seems on edge which leads me to believe that it must be close to 7. I walked over to the window to pull the curtains back and get a peek of outside, but when I do I find that the window had been covered with plywood. I look at Abby.

“The last girl?” I ask her.

She nods yes. Her eyes fill with tears.

“You don't have to worry about that with me,” I start but I'm cut off by a knock.

“They are ready for you,” it’s Kennedy on the other side. I hear his footsteps leave and I know that I am supposed to go now. Abby opens the door.

“Abby what would happen if I ran out the door?” I ask.

She looks at me and then back out towards the stairs leading up to the attic to make sure that Kennedy can not see her. She makes a gun with her hand and points it at me. Bang. She does the same to her head. Bang

“Both of us huh?”

\-------------------------

The ceremony starts in the study. Abby and Kennedy are present for some reason. Wesker spouts off some nonsense about bloodlines and witnesses to greatness, but I am not listening. Excella is present and she doesn't take her eyes off of me.

In my previous profession there was always a way out. My mind is scanning the room looking for any little bits that I can use as an escape. I hadn't noticed any bars on the downstairs windows, but there was a box on the wall near the study that leads me to believe that there must be some sort of security system that will go off when a window opens. There's a camera in multiple corners. I wonder how often they are checked and by who.

“May this union bring forth the future.” I tune in to hear Wesker say this, and that must be a signal because Kennedy and Abby leave.

I hadn't felt in danger just yet, but being alone with the Weskers gives me a feeling of immense danger.

Wesker goes into the next room and Excella follows. I know that I am supposed to follow him as well but I am glued in my spot.

“Albert, she is not following,” Excella says. I see a wicked smile across her face.

Wekser steps back into view.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. What will it be?” he asks me. I stay in place. I want to move, but my brain and my body are buzzing.

“Do it Wesker, she has to learn. Better to show her what happens when she disobeys sooner rather than later,” Excella is jumping up and down from excitement. She can't wait for what is about to happen to me.

Albert scoffs and raises his hand.

Suddenly my chest is on fire. It feels as though my ribs are being pulled apart by some unknown force and it jerks me forward. I gasp and hear Excella giggle from behind Wesker.

My legs move forward. The burning continues, but I can't even scream out in pain. I'm no longer in control of my body.

Wesker lowers his hand and the pain in my chest leaves. I stop moving.

“Follow us into the room,” Wesker states as he turns to go into the bedroom. There's no doubt in my mind that the pain was caused by him. Whatever they did to me in the lab allowed Wesker to have some sort of control over me.

I do as I am told and follow then into their bedroom. The bed is huge and Excella has already made her place on the dark red duvet. Wesker raises his hand towards Excella and she goes rigid. He's controlling her too. She sits cross legged in the center of the bed with her hands placed in her lab.

I'm too scared to move again. Wesker raises his hand again towards me.

“You will do as you are commanded,” he says through clenched teeth. The pain returns and again i'm moving under his control

His hand guides me to the bed where I sit down. My head lands in Excella’s hands and she is staring off into the distance.

I'm not sure what happens next. I see Wesker move towards me on the edge of the bed. His hand still raised towards me. I opened my legs but I had not done so myself. I felt bile rising in my throat.

My eyes are frantic. I feel my chest rising as I breath but I still feel as though I am suffocating.

I try to move my arms, but they are being held down by Excella. Even if they weren't I'm sure Wesker wouldn't allow it.

I hear the sound of clothes being unzipped and pulled down. I feel a sudden chill on my ankles, my calves, my thighs as my dress is pulled up.

I close my eyes. By body is paralyzed. Wesker’s hand remains raised controlling me to remain frozen while he reaches towards me with his other hand. He pulls me towards him and I feel his center himself between my legs. I see Excellas smile as the tears roll down my face


	5. Plywood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm so excited to be able to update this week. I'm slowly settling into our new home and have had a lot more time to write. Like always thank you for reading and thanks to those who have left comments! It literally brings me so much joy! Enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter 5: Plywood  
In my line of work there are very few things that go right. No amount of planning or prior knowledge can fully prepare you for what could go wrong.   
I cant allow for that to be the case this time. 

A month has passed since I left the labs and entered hell. 

I only know how many days have passed because I have started keeping track with scratches on the inside of the closet in my room. There are similar marks on the floorboard under the bed and I assume that they are from the last girl. There are 127 marks there. The last girl was here for 4 months. I decided that I can't be here longer than that.

A bell rings.

It is my signal that someone down stairs needs me. I put on my cap, straighten my dress, and take a deep breath. 

You will escape just not today. I tell myself

Downstairs Abby is waiting for me. She does not look up at me which tells me that the Weskers are about to join us in the living room. I wait with Abby, butI keep my head up. The familiar click of heels can be heard, followed by their figures emerging from the hallway and into the living room. Their features are dark and cold. When they aren't moving they stand like statues. Weskers face is expressionless. Excellas eyes flick to me. They are always filled with hate.

I stay equally as still as them. I’ve learned that any sudden movement will result in Wesker raising his hand and having control over me. I'm not sure how they have done it, but it must have been something that they did to me in the labs. If I'm ever going to escape there has to be a way that I can undo what has been done. Until then there was nothing I could do, but stay still.

“Excella and I have been called away for some business. We will be gone for the rest of the week,” Wesker said. My stomach fluttered at those words. It was only tuesday which meant that the ceremony would not have to take place this week. 

“That being said your duties are still to be completed this week. Annette will need you on Wednesday to report to the hospital and she will be running tests to see if you have conceived,” he continued, saying something about being on our best behavior and Kennedy staying to keep an eye on things, but I stopped listening. I was so happy to know that there was going to no ceremony this week. I would scrub the floors with my own toothbrush a millions times if it meant not having to have sex with this man and his crazy wife. 

Another pair of footsteps entered the room. I looked up to see a UBCS guard enter. He was covered in black armor and had a large AR in his arms. His black hair was a mess and it was such a stark contrast to the clean lines of the Weskers. His name tag read Oliveira.

“Mr. Wesker, your car is ready,” he spoke.

Wesker nodded and then looked at me. A sick smile spread across his face, and it made my skin crawl. I felt his eyes on me even though his sunglasses were still perched on his perfect nose. I would love more than anything to punch and break that nose. 

He walked towards me and placed his hand on my lower belly where a baby could be growing. I pursed my lips and kept my eyes on the lens of his glasses. I couldn't see into them, but I refused to not look him in the eye. He may be able to control my movements, but he could not control my complete and utter hatred for him and his stupid family. 

“We look forward to seeing the results form Annette,” He lowered his hand and then walked past me. Excella followed behind him, and glared as she passed by me. 

A small part of me wanted to feel bad for Excella. Wesker had control over her just like me. But when she glared at me and called me a rat under her breath when i passed by her in the hallways it made it really hard to feel anything but hate. I stood my ground and waited until I heard the front door close and heard a car start. 

I let out a breath and my body relaxed. Even Abby relaxed. She smiled over at me and gestured for me to follow as she walked, almost skipped, to the kitchen. I followed her. Over the past few weeks Abby proved to be a lot tougher than I originally thought she would be. I learned that her tongue was cut out for saying no to the last person she served, so she couldn't talk even if she wanted to. It seemed like a bit of a drastic punishment, but the rules of the new world were not exactly the same as before. 

In the kitchen, Abby climbed up on a stool and started rummaging around in the highest cabinet. She put in a great deal of effort until I heard a small scrape of wood against wood. She pulled out a small box of something, and then she hopped off the stool. I moved to sit at the table. Whatever she had she was excited about it. 

She put the box on the island and opened it up. Inside nestled inside a cloth was the shiny foil of a chocolate bar. I gasped. 

“Abby, how did you get this,” I said with a grin. My mouth had started watering. I couldn't remember the last time I had any type of candy. Abby shrugged her shoulders as if to say she didn't know what I was talking about, but I knew that if she could talk she would have a crazy story. 

Ever since the bombings and riots food was in short supply. I went to the grocery store once a week and bought a few canned items that we were allowed, canned meat and green beans were a regular meal for us. Any and all produce came from the garden that Abby had to tend to. It was one of her duties for living in the house. But things like candy were rare. 

She reached into the box and pulled out the bar. She peeled back the delicate foil and she handed me a small square and one for herself. I held mine out and she tapped her square against mine. 

“To chocolate, may it solve all of our problems,” I toasted our secret treat and Abby beamed. 

I took a small bite and savored as much of it as I could, but it took every ounce of my will power not to gobble it in one bite. 

The back door opened and shut and I tensed up. I didn't really know what the penalty was for eating black market chocolate, but i couldn't imagine it was good. Abby did not tense up though.   
Kennedy entered the kitchen and he looked at us confused. Abby continued to eat her chocolate, but she made a big show of it now. Rolling her eyes and waving the piece under her nose. 

“Abby I know you're not eating that chocolate without giving me a piece,” he smiled at her. I noticed he had a dimple in his left cheek. There wasnt alot of smiling that typically occurred in this house. Abby broke off another piece and handed it to Kennedy. 

As much as Abby seemed to feel comfortable around Kennedy I just couldn't feel the same way. I didn't trust him. He had literally told me that he would shoot me if I tried to run away. Yet here he was, sharing a piece of chocolate with me and the other prisoner in this house. I have learned to trust very few people and so far Abby was the only one who I was willing to trust. 

“So you ladies got any plans for the next few days?” Kennedy asked as he took a bite of his bar. 

Plans? Aside from being forced to go get examined for a baby and my weekly walk to the grocery store, my calendar was open. 

“No sir. I have an appointment with Annette on Wednesday, but that’s it,” i didn't look at him. To be honest, another reason I couldn't trust Kennedy is that being around another man made me nervous. 

“Well, Abby and I were going to be clearing out the garden, and getting the green house ready for the produce once fall hits, if you don't mind we could use an extra hand,” this was shocking to me. Aside from the weekly trip to the grocery store, which involved me walking with another woman down a guarded path, I had not seen much of the Wesker Estate. I had no idea that there was even a greenhouse out there. 

“They teach you gardening in the military?” I asked. I regretted saying it. Letting out my sarcasm like that would have resulted in Wesker or Excella yelling at me, but Leon just laughed.

“Abby only has me help because I'm the muscle of the whole operation. She tells me what to dig, and I just follow orders,” Abby nudged him with her elbow and smiled.

“How simple that must be then. You must be really good at just following orders then,” I don't know where the sass came from, but Kennedy looked at me like I had said something hurtful. Fuck it let him feel bad.

“Like I said we would enjoy your company,” he didn't let my words hurt him too much. He brushed off my snide remark and ate the rest of his candy.

“I'll watch from my window if that's alright,” being around Kennedy was bringing out some anger in me. I hated the Weskers, but if I said anything to them I would get beat or controlled, but Kennedy seemed like an easy target, and as far as I could tell the Wesker’s little watchdog was more of an attack-when-ordered type guard. 

Abby looked confused by what I said. The window in the attic was still boarded up. I couldn't see anything outside of it but that was the whole point of what I said. Why pretend I wasn't a prisoner just because Wesker and Excella were out of town.

“You mean the one thats boarded up?” Kennedy asked. Confused as well.

“Yes,” I stood up and pushed my chair in. Despite the chocolate in my stomach my mood had soured. Kennedys presence made me angry. He threatens me, then eats chocolate with me, then brings me to a house of nightmares, then asks me if I was to plant tomatoes with him. I left Abby and Kennedy confused in the kitchen and went back to the attic.  
\---------------------------------  
On Wednesday, Kennedy drove me to the hospital. He didn't try to talk to me. He didn't try to invite me to help in the garden again. He seemed uncomfortable I didn't really care. I didn't really have anything to say to him. 

At the hospital I was back with some of the girls that I recognized from the labs. Some of them I hadn't seen before though. 

We waited until our names were called and when it was we went behind a curtain where we were going to be examined. I was nervous about being examined. I didn't feel pregnant, but then again it was too early to tell right? We had only performed the ceremony 4 times so there was no way for me to really feel pregnant already. Still the thought of being pregnant with that monster's child was enough to make me want to vomit. However I was also scared about what Excella and Wesker would say if I wasnt pregnant. Would I get punished?

The girl a few spots ahead of me was called. I had seen her a few times in the grocery stores. We were allowed to talk to one another while we were grocery shopping, but I had never tried to speak to any of the other girls. What was the point. If we talked ill of our masters someone would find out and we would be punished. 

I jumped at the sound of a bell. 

“We have a pregnancy!” someone yelled. The nurses at the hospital all cheered. Even some of the girls who were waiting clapped. I looked around to see it. I could see who it was, but couldn't. I heard one of the nurses say, “Congratulations Ms. Raymond”

“Ms. Wesker,” my name was called, causing me to look away from the celebration. 

I was examined and asked questions and eventually Annette Birkin entered the room. She injected something into my arm which is assumed to be hormones. There was a second syringe, but this one was much larger. The fluid on the inside was a dark purple color. I instantly remembered that dark purple color from my past and I I jerked my arm away from her. 

“Wait what is that?” I gasped. 

“Excuse me?” She seemed shocked that I was asking her. The guard behind me placed a threatening hand on my shoulder. 

“What are you trying to inject into my arm?” I said. This time more forcefully. 

Annette grabbed my arm and yanked it towards her. I pulled against her, but suddenly felt a stabbing pain in my neck. 

Damn it. Sedative. 

My body went limp and my eyes become droopy. They fluttered closed, but not before I saw the thick needle enter my arm and the dark purple goop burned as it entered my bloodstream.   
\--------------------------------  
I went in and out of consciousness, but I remember yelling.

“Wekser won't be happy to find out that you injected her with sedative, you know that it isn't good in promoting conception,” it was Kennedy who was yelling. 

“She tried to hit me,” Annette replied. I wanted to say that if I had tried to hit her I would have succeeded, but I was too woozy to speak, “ You would be best to let Wesker know that, like I warned, she is a dangerous person,” Annette yelled back. 

“You think that Wesker is not aware? You want me to tell him that you said he has not thought his decision out?” Kennedy countered with. 

“N-no that’s not what I'm saying…” She was cut off by Kennedy.

“If Wesker finds out that not only is she not pregnant, but also you are jeopardizing her chances of conceiving, I don't believe he will be all too happy with you Dr. Birkin,” a door slammed and I felt myself being lifted. 

Once again my world went black.  
\-----------------------------  
Sunlight was in my eyes. I blinked a few times to get used to the harsh light. I was disoriented for sure, but after a few moments I realized that I was in my small bed in the attic.   
I sat up confused about how I had ended up here. The last thing I remembered was Kennedy yelling, and then being lifted. 

My train of thought was derailed when I realized there was sunlight in my room. 

The artificial glow of the lightbulb was nowhere to be seen and the room felt warmer than it usually was. 

The plywood was removed from the window and the curtains were tied to the side. The sky was still blue and the sun was low saying that a sunset was on its way. I stood up and walked to the window. There was still glass, but it was clean almost as if someone had wiped it down. I relished the warmth. I could see out behind the house and was surprised to see just how much land was sprawling behind the estate. 

In the backyard I could see rows of plants. Tomatoes and peppers and sure enough just like kennedy had said a large greenhouse. 

Smoke was building off on the far side of the yard and it looked like someone was burning something. I saw Kennedy step out from the mansion and he was holding a small square of plywood. It was the wood from my window. He had removed it. 

I watched as he took it to the fire and threw it in. 

He watched it for a moment as it caught fire and then he turned around and looked up at my window. He saw me standing there, but looked away. His arms were crossed.  
\-----------------------------  
I went down stairs and ventured into the back yard. I hadn't been allowed outside unless it was under supervision and indefinitely had not ventured out into the back yard, however with Kennedy's invitation I decided it was alright. Abby was rummaging in the green house, she gave me a small wave in between dropping seeds into holes. I walked to the back side of the yard where Kennedy was still burning various items. A few boxes, papers, plywood.

“Good to see you joined us. I was thinking if you're up to it…” his pleasant tone was pissing me off so I cut him off. 

“What are you doing Kennedy?” I spat at him. He looked alarmed. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You threatened to kill me if I tried to run, but then you are nice to me and take the wood off my window? What are you playing here?” I've crossed my arms and I try not to yell so Abby won’t hear me. 

“I was just trying…”

“Trying to what? Make me feel less like a prisoner? Make this hell hole a home for me?” I see Abby out of the corner of my eye, but she doesn't seem to hear what i'm saying. “Let's get one thing straight. I don't trust you and i don't care about your thinly veiled threats, we are not playing on the same team here and i'm not trying to be your buddy. You really want to help me? Stop trying to be nice to me. That way when I escape I wont feel so bad for stabbing you in the back.” I turned on my heel and walked away from him. Abby saw me stomp by her and seemed concerned, but I didn't want to talk to her. 

Once I was back inside I ran upstairs. I didn't know if what i had just said was going to get me punished. 

What I told Kennedy was true. I didn't want to feel like I owed him anything. 

There was always a way out, and when I found one I wouldn't hesitate to hurt him if he got in my way. Him being nice to me would only make that more difficult. 

I went back to the attic and turned the lights off. There was a square of light that was still coming through my now open window. I sat in it and tried not to be grateful to Kennedy for letting the sun in.


	6. Grocery Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Guys can I just say that my heart is so stinking happy by the reviews you have been leaving me! It makes me so happy that you guys like what I'm putting out there!   
> Ive been working really hard on this chapter and I'm not going to lie it was originally twice as long, but I decided to chop it in half a rework the second part. Hopefully I will get it fixed up and ready to go before Friday!  
> Thank you again for reading!

Chapter 6:

The city was burning, but I was long gone. I had escaped like a shadow and no one had even known I was there. The vial was nestled safely in my hip back, and I was on my way to a very, very big check. 

I'm not usually one to gloat, but this victory felt good. I smiled as I thought about what I would do with that paycheck. I hadn’t been to Bali in a while. Once the borders were open I might go on a little vacation. 

I needed a shower and a drink, but overall the mission had been a success. A few bumps and bruises and several close calls, but I was alive and that was more than the population of Raccoon City could say. 

When the helicopter landed I was immediately met by two men in white coats. They took the purple vial from me, and then told me to follow them to the decontamination bay. I was sanitized, had blood drawn, and given a flimsy white gown because my clothes needed to be decontaminated. 

When I was given the all clear I was able to go to the locker room and get ready to go home. I gathered my things, and changed into my travel clothes. When I turned my cell phone on, I saw that I had a few missed texts from Claire. They were in all caps which means that she must have been watching the news. 

**YOU NEED TO COME HOME NOW. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN THE NEWS, BUT RACCOON CITY IS GONE.**

Claire had no idea where I was. Well, she knew my cover location. I had told her that I was going up to New York for the weekend to wrap up a few art sales, but in reality I was in a city that was dying. Luckily , Chris and Jill had managed to make it out a few days before everything went down. 

I heard the locker room door open. Two pairs of footsteps entered. It was soothing to hear real footsteps and not the shuffle of zombies that I had become accustomed to over the past two days. 

“I'm surprised she made it out alive before the whole city blew up,” one of the voices said. The voice was not familiar to me, but it made me smile that people I didn't even know were talking about me. I was good at my job, and people knew it.

“They picked her for a reason she's the best of the best,” the other voice said. I smiled at that. Damn straight I was. I'm a confident woman, but who doesn't like to hear people say good things about them. 

“That place was a nightmare. What did they send her in for anyways?” 

“Didn't you hear? That new virus that they were working on got released. They sent her in for a sample. You know what that means,” the voice asked.

There was silence from the other person. Idiot.

“That means,” he dragged that out, implying that what it meant was obvious, “that Umbrella isn't done with what they started. This is only the beginning. I would put my next pay check on it. You heard about what happened to all those college students down in Texas. All of them dead in the span of a few weeks? You don't think Umbrella had something to do with that?”

“Yeah but Umbrella has crazy ties. I’m sure they will construct some story about how it wasn't their fault,” the other voice sounded worried. She was right. Umbrella’s ties went all the way up to some parts of the government. 

“All I'm saying is that I hope that they take care of all those who have been working their ass off to keep their secrets. When the world goes to shit, I want to be friends with the people who have cures,” the voice said. 

My phone buzzed again. I rolled my eyes. I knew it was Claire again. I didn't mind her texting me. I knew she was just worried, but the buzz from my phone was loud enough for the others to hear.

Just as I expected the voices stopped and the two walked out of the locker room. Probably nervous about who had heard them talking about Umbrella. 

I slung my backpack on my shoulder and slid my sunglasses on my face. 

I couldn't care less what they wanted with that purple vial. As long as I got paid. If things went to shit I had enough connections to get me somewhere safe. 

\----------------------

Thursdays were my days that I was allowed to go to the grocery store. I got dressed and waited outside the front door for Ms. Saddler. She was the girl that I had known before with the big brown eyes that looked almost like a cartoon. I still couldn't remember her real name. Not that it mattered. The only name she went by now was Ms. saddler. Just like how the only name I went by was Ms. Wesker. 

I'm always unsure of how the other woman in my situation feels. I can't imagine anyone feeling anything but disgust and hatred, but Ms. Saddler always had a smile on her face. The few times that we did talk she would only ever talk about how wonderful her home was and how she felt like she was pregnant. It had only been a month so the chances were slim to none, but every time we saw each other she would say “I think this is it. I think I've conceived. Isn't that just amazing?” 

I think back on that woman who Ophelia had talked to in the gym. She had said that she had lost her child and then all of the sudden Ophelia was spitting out some crap about new lives and starting a new world. Had people actually bought into that?

When she appeared on the sidewalk she was smiling as usual. Apparently she wasn't pregnant, but she could feel that she was going to be soon. We walked the path together, tailed by a guard with a gun on his hip. We passed by the town square, where you could typically see people being whipped for talking out of turn, or hung for trying to escape. I saw one person one time with a sign that said “I steal” and that was enough for me to know that when I walked through the town square it was best to keep my head down and my eyes on the concrete.

The ones who were hanging were always men. Women were typically the ones getting whipped. I guess the number of women were so low they couldn't risk killing too many of them. That or the woman who broke rules were sent to the labs with William Birkin. I try not to think about that too much. 

At the grocery store I perused the aisles. Nothing really new or interesting, but I liked to be able to just walk around like I used to. The other women did the same. Just walking around aimlessly hoping that they could stay out of their homes for as long as possible. Or maybe there were genuinely interested in the new canned food items. A few of the women walked around with growing bellies. 

“Hey you! That's too many cans of green beans! Put two back!” a guard shouted towards the front of the store. Every now and then a guard would yell at a woman who was bending the rules. Rations were very strict and we weren't allowed to take more than what we were allotted . His shout was followed by the clang of cans being dropped on the ground. 

“Whose house do you belong to?” the guard shouted. There was no response. 

I walked behind a display of canned carrots in order to observe what was happening. The woman was standing with her back to me so I couldn't see her face, but I could see the guards and their hands were on their guns. 

“I said whose house…” but he was cut off by the woman. 

“I don't belong to anyone you dip shit,” the woman called back. 

Immediately my stomach dropped. There was no way. I knew that voice. The last time I had heard it, it was yelling my name as I was being captured by that guard in our apartment. What could the odds be? There was no way it could possibly be her. I tried to keep calm. I hid behind the display, but kept my eyes on the situation. I didn't want to do anything and then be wrong. 

Suddenly there was a crash and the woman was being tackled by the same guard who had yelled at her. They hit the ground hard. Her cap was knocked off and red hair spilled out. 

The image of Claire's ponytail falling out of her cap the day I was captured flashed in my eyes. It wawa her. Claire was here somehow and she was being tackled. I immediately grabbed the closest thing to me, a can of carrots, and hurled it at the soldier. It hit him in the back of the head and before he could react I was sprinting towards him and grabbing him by the kevlar vest. I am not as strong as I used to be, but he was off balance enough from wrestling with Claire that I was able to pull him off of her. 

For a split second Claire and I locked eyes. There was no doubt. It was her. She had not escaped to Canada with Jill and Chris. 

My instincts took over and I was kicking the guard on the ground. I wanted to reach for his gun, but before I could I was being grabbed from behind. They pulled me away kicking and screaming and someone did the same to Claire. The guards must not have been ready for how strong I was going to be because as I was being dragged out of the store another guard had to come and grab my legs. 

I was shoved into the back of a car and for a moment I thought I was being driven back to the labs. I had attacked a soldier there was no way that I was going to be able to just go back home. If Kennedy found out I'd be dead. But I didn't care about any of that. All I could think about was Claire. How had she ended up here? I thought she had escaped with Jill. I fought back tears. I wasn't going to start crying now. I had to think straight. If I could just get a hold of one of their guns I could fight my way out. I could take care and get Claire, and maybe Abby, and leave. 

The car came to a stop and I was surprised to see that I was back at the Wesker estate. The guards got out of the car and I watched them go to the door and knock. 

_ Oh great they are going to get Kennedy and he is going to deal with me. _

Kennedy stepped out and the two guards began talking to him. He nods a few times. One of the guards is visibly upset and has his hand on the gun in his pants. I reach for the door handle but the child lock is on and I can't get out. 

The men start walking towards the car and Kennedy follows after them. They open the car door and one of the men reaches out to grab me. I push myself as far back into the seat as I can. I want to kick them in the face, but they all have guns and I know that would get me killed.

“Ms. Wesker, get out of the car now,” Kennedy's voice is stern, but he doesn't reach for his gun. 

“Only if none of you touch me,” I respond. Kennedy nods.

“Men step back,” he instructs them.

“Officer Kennedy, she injured another officer. She is dangerous. She needs to be punished,” one of the guards snaps. He's clearly pissed that I'm not being dragged out of the car and beat by Kennedy. I wish I had another can of carrots on me so I could throw it at him as well. 

“Albert Wesker is not in town. I would suggest that you don't try to punish members of his family while he is not here, or you can deal with him when he returns,” he says. The other guards look at one another and decide that that is not what they want to do at all. They step back and I get out of the car. I keep my chin high. I don't want them to think that I feel any remorse for attacking that guard. 

“Thank you for bringing her back,” Kennedy gestures for me to walk towards the house. It's not lost on me that he still has not laid a hand on me. 

When I get inside I run up to the attic before Kennedy even has a chance to close the door fully. I'm in deep shit. First I threaten Kennedy, and now I'm attacking guards. I must have some sort of death wish. 

Once I'm upstairs I close the door. There's no lock so I push the little wooden chair under the handle in order to keep Kennedy from coming inside. I hear his footsteps as they approach the door. He knocks.

“Go away!” I scream. I know it's useless. Kennedy is strong and if he wanted to break the door down he would. 

But he doesn't. I hear his footsteps go back down the stairs and I'm alone again. My mind wanders to Claire and I only hope that she is safe. 

\--------------------

On Saturday the Weskers are supposed to come home. I've spent the majority of the weekend in the attic. Abby has brought me my meals and I've been thinking about Claire. There's no way for me to know if she's ok, or who she lives with. I can't risk asking Kennedy about it and Abby doesn't leave the house so there's no way she would know. Besides, information about my past life like that is prohibited. I fear that if someone knows that I know her it would be bad for both of us. 

I look out the window and watch as Kennedy finishes the work in the backyard, there's a small guest house in the backyard by the treel ine. This is where he lives. I imagine that the inside is probably lined with security cameras and filled with guns.

He works starting early in the morning and only comes inside the main house for meals. He occasionally looks up at my window, but when he sees me he looks away and carries on moving wood or helping Abby. I feel like he is checking to make sure that I'm not about to jump out. Always keeping tabs on my making sure that I'm not trying to escape. 

The sun is setting when the front door opens. A bell rings and I go downstairs. I expect to see them standing there waiting for me, but they have already left for their quarters. I hear Wesker yelling at Excella, and I assume that their trip must not have gone the way it was supposed to. The UBCS guard, Olivera, is standing at the front door. When he sees me he whispers. 

“Hey you know Claire?” he whispers.

I’m shocked. Did he just say what I think he said?

“Y-yes,” I stuttered out.

“This is for you,” he handed me a slip of paper and turned around to leave. He closed the door behind him and I was left standing in the living room stunned. I hear footsteps approaching and quickly stuff the slip of paper into my sleeve. I turn around to see Excella. She has clearly been crying, but she ignores me and goes into another room. I wonder if she is upset because they received the results from Annette. 

I go back upstairs and halfway up the stairwell I see Kennedy go into Wesker’s study. This is it. He's going to tell Wesker about what happened at the grocery store, and Wesker is going to punish me. I close the door behind me and quickly take the note out of my sleeve. Everything is happening so fast, but I have to know what the note says. It's folded twice and the paper is small, but I see Claire's handwriting.

**We are getting out of here. Stay out of trouble till then.**

I read the note once. Twice. Commit it to my memory and then tear it up and throw the scraps in the toilet. I can't help smiling. Claire called a guard a dip shit and she's telling me to stay out of trouble. She must know something that I don't. How else would this note have gotten to that guard? She said that we are getting out. There must be some sort of underground operation.

The bell rings. Someone is requesting my presence. I try to conceal my smile as I descend the stairs and I see Kennedy exit Wesker's study. He briefly looks at me, but then disappears out the back door to his house. He must feel so good about himself. He followed orders and let Wesker know what I did. 

No one is waiting for me in the living room, but I hear Wesker call me from his study. He is sitting behind a large wooden desk with the Umbrella logo etched into it. He is looking at a computer screen and he doesn't look at me as I enter. His eyes are still covered by dark lenses. 

“Have a seat,” he instructs. I sit down in a large cold leather chair “I've been informed that you have yet to conceive. Is that right?”

“Yes sir.” I responded. Kennedy must have told him. Or maybe my test results were emailed to him by Annette. I wonder if she told him about the sedative. 

“Annette said that it would take a few months. That being said I would like to let you know what an honor it is for you to be in this house.” he says. He looks away from the computer screen and at me. 

“Yes sir,” I responded. I don't really know what else to say. I was to gag and roll my eyes and tell him to fuck off but I dont want him to raise his hand and then feel that pain. 

“You can call me Albert,” again I want to gag. I can't even respond to it. 

“We requested you specifically for a reason. Two working ovaries is a very rare thing these days. Most men are lucky to get a woman with one,” he links his hands together in front of his face and leans forward on his desk, “however, I was also very interested in your previous employment.” he smiles. 

“You enjoy art?” I respond. That was my cover job. That's what everyone believed my profession to be. 

“You don't have to lie to me. I know about your freelance work. In fact, I know about your narrow escape from Raccoon City. Very impressive really,” I'm shocked at what he says. No one knew what my real job was. My employers didn't even know my real name. 

“Why are you telling me this?” I ask. 

“I just want you to know that I value you. Your survival of Raccoon City shows that you have a special… something that not a lot of people have. It would be best if you conceive a child sooner rather than later,” he leans back and does something I was not prepared for. He raises his hand and the pain in my chest explodes. I'm completely still and he is controlling me again. My legs spread open and Wesker stands up. His hands go to his belt. He grabs my chin and lifts it up as he settles himself between my legs. He reaches into his pants, but before he can pull anything out Excella walks in. 

There's a silence and then suddenly there is yelling.

“The ceremony takes place once a week Albert and you know that! How could you betray me? You promised that we would do this together!” she comes towards him, arms ready to start swinging. But of course Wesker raises his hand and Excela is still. 

“Leave , I have to deal with this,” whatever Wesker means by that I don't want to find out. Excella starts screaming in pain. She drops to the ground and I quickly run out of the room. I catch a glimpse of her face as she writhes in pain on the ground and I see dark, ink like tendrils weaving their way through the whites of her eyes. 

_ What the fuck is happening? _

I don't want to go to the attic, I just want to be out of the house. If I run out the front door I risk being in trouble, so I make a break for the back door. It is dark outside and the air is crisp and cool, but my breath is caught in my throat. I've never had a panic attack before but everything is building up inside me and I feel like a mouse in a trap. 

I've always thrived in the shadows. The reason I was such a sought after spy was my ability to slip in and out of places without being detected. I dash into the shadows where I used to feel safe and secure but they only make me feel small and scared now. 

There's no light except for the soft glow from the moon. I can't hear any noise coming from inside, but I can't even imagine what Excella is going through at the moment, her eyes...

“Who's there?” Kennedy's voice cuts through the darkness.

Damn it. 


	7. Apples

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I was so excited reading the comments that I just HAD to type up this next chapter for this week. I was going to wait, but I just couldn't! You guys are awesome and come of y'all have left some really sweet comments! They have really made me super excited to type more! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 7: Apples

“Who's there?” Kennedy repeats. 

I stay silent. This guy is everywhere. It's hard to shake him. I don't want him to see me. I don't want anyone to see me. I used to be so much better at hiding. Then again back then I wasn't hiding while simultaneously trying to keep myself from sobbing.

A light shines on me. When he sees me, Kennedy clicks the light off and I hear the crunch of leaves as he takes a step towards me

“Go away,” I say. He stops, but he doesn't leave.

He just stands there for a moment. My eyes have adjusted to the darkness and I can see his silhouette against the moonlight. He looks back at the house and then at me. 

“Are you hurt?” he asks quietly. How do I even respond to that? Physically I'm fine, but my brain feels like it's about to burst. My body feels like it's weighted down with lead, and my heart is still racing.

“No,” I responded to him. I have to give him some reason. I feel like he won't leave without an explanation for why I'm outside, breaking the rules, and crying, “It's not the night for the ceremony, but he tried to…” I can't bring myself to say the words out loud.

“Oh…” he's quiet. I don't blame him. There's nothing he can really say that will make me feel better. 

“Come inside. I'll get you some water,” he gestures towards his house. I thought if I gave him a reason he would leave me alone and let me be, but he doesn't. Instead he wants to help me for some reason.

I hear yelling coming from inside the house, and it makes me jump. I'm scared that once Wesker is done yelling at Excella, he's going to come and find me and try to finish what he had started in his study. The image of him reaching down to his pants and positioning himself between my legs is enough to bring tears to my eyes again. I hate crying especially in front of others.

“I just want to hide,” I say. My eyes search the yard for something to hide under. A shadow to disappear in.

“You can hide in there for a little bit. He never comes out to my house,” he's stubborn I'll give him that. I get the feeling that he is not going to take no for an answer. As much as I don't want to trust him, Kennedy seems to really want to show me that he can be trusted. 

I stand up and he turns towards his small house. I follow him, keeping one eye on the backdoor of the mansion, just in case Wesker emerges. 

The inside of the house is not what I had expected. I expected there to be guns and screens that connected to the cameras around the house. I guess I imagined some sort of guard headquarters that had different ways to spy on me and make sure that I wasn't breaking rules. What I see instead is a bare apartment. There's a bed and a table with one chair. A stove and a small fridge. The inside is warm and smells like the inside of a hardware store. I don't even see a gun on his nightstand. There's no touch of interior design but i do notice a notebook on his table. 

For what little belongings that are present the room is well organized. He goes over to the refrigerator and pulls out a pitcher of water. He pours two glasses and sets them on the table. He pulls the chair out and gestures for me to sit down. I take the water, but I shake my head at the chair and lean against the wall farthest from him. He shrugs and sits down. 

“Why didn't you tell Wesker about the guard?'' I ask. Wesker didn't mention it at all when he talked to me. I have a feeling that if Wesker had known about it, the conversation would have gone differently. I'm not sure which scenario would have been worse. 

Kennedy leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his broad chest. 

“You know my job isn't to punish you just for fun right? It's to protect the family. I'm not entirely sure how you throwing a tin can at a guard is a threat to Wesker himself,” his tone it light almost like he is joking with me. 

“You didn't tell him about me threatening you either,” I reply.

“Again , I'm not a member of the family so I don't really think he needs to know about it,” he still has a smile on his face. It’s not sick and sinister like Weskers. It is genuine and warm. 

“You know I meant it,'' I say. I don't mean to threaten him again. There's just something about his kindness that makes me not trust him.

“Yeah I know,” his smile fades and he looks down. I feel like I might have hurt his feelings. It reminds me of a puppy almost. As much as he tries to be nice I just keep beating him back with a stick, “Has Abby ever told you about the last woman who was here?” he asks me. His voice is low and the joking tone is gone.

“Yes. She jumped out the attic window right?” I reply. I remember the first day I was here and Abby had not wanted to leave me alone. The last girl jumped out the window and that was why the window had been boarded up. 

“I knew her, before all of this had happened,” he pauses a moment trying to determine how much he should be telling me, “We were in the police academy together. We weren't close or anything, but she was there. We graduated together.. Always very nice. The kind of person that you would want on your team,” he's not looking at me. He seems to be in a different place. A different time. 

“You were a cop?” I ask. The question brings him back for a minute. My original thought was part of the military. Maybe even secret service or something like that. Why else would he have been in put charge of guarding Wesker, someone who was so powerful?

“Yeah, “ he lets out a soft laugh, “for a day only. My first day on the force and Raccoon City turns into a zombie wasteland.”

“You were in Raccoon City?” I'm shocked to find out. As far as I had known I was the only person who got out of the city alive and I wasn't even a documented survivor. According to the news no one had lived.

“Yeah, me and another. A little girl named Sherry, '' he continues. I guess Sherry is a sensitive subject because he doesn't elaborate on where she is now or what happened to her. I want to ask questions, but he has already told me more than I would have thought he would. I hadn't asked for any of this information he had just offered it up to me. No one talked about life before all of this had happened, but Kennedy was being so honest and vulnerable. It made me uncomfortable. I never give out information like that. 

We are quiet for a moment. I sip my water as I process this information. Two out of three survivors of the Raccoon City incident are living in Wesker;s home. That doesn't seem like a coincidence. Wesker said he had requested me because of surviving. I wonder if that's the same for Kennedy. And if so, why?

“I know you don't trust me,” he interrupts my train of thought, “I don't blame you. I can't imagine what you're going through ok. But you have to understand that I have a lot at stake here as well. If I step out of line, if something happens to Excella or Wesker, people that I care about get hurt.” He looks at me. His blue eyes are filled with hurt. 

I think about what he says. People he cares about get hurt. Who could he be talking about? Sherry?

So my thought that he was just as much a prisoner as I was was right. This doesn't change how vastly different we are. He is a prisoner with a gun and I'm a prisoner without one. Although we are in the same boat, he still holds power over me. However, there is an element of understanding between the two of us. I feel sorry for him now. He is not some beefed up military pawn. He was just a rookie in the wrong place at the wrong time. For some reason we were chosen to be in the home of Wesker. 

“I’m only telling you this because I don't want what happened to Rebecca to happen to you ok? It was my fault. She broke a rule and I told Wesker and he was going to have her sent to the labs again. She jumped,” his voice catches as he says this, “because of me following orders.”

“I'm sure that wasn't the reason she did what she did,” I say. I don't understand why I'm trying to console him. I've never been one to try and make someone feel better. Claire used to make fun of me saying that I was about as cuddly as a cactus.

“We don't have to be friends, but we can work together a little bit ok. You have to trust me,” 

I think about it for a moment. It's risky, trusting him. After all how do I know that he is not just saying this to buy my trust and then betray me later? If he has something at stake here as well what's to stop him from throwing me under the bus when it is convenient for him. Its what i would do in this type of situation.

I never really worked with a partner before, but in my situation it might not hurt me to make friends with someone with a gun. 

“So does this mean we can't eat Abby's candy any more?” I ask him trying to lighten the mood. I’ve never been really good at having heart to heart conversations with others. 

“No, candy is fine,” he says with a laugh, “but no more attacking guards,” he reaches his hand out to me, “deal?”

“Deal,” I take his hand in mine and we shake. 

His hand is warm and it ignites my whole body almost instantly.

There's a ring in Kennedy's small home. Wesker, or someone, needs him inside.

“Wesker is calling me. Wait for me to go inside before you leave. I'll leave the back door ajar so it wont make any noise when you sneak back in,” he stands up and heads for the door.

“Thank you,” I say before he leaves the house. He turns and looks at me. He gives me one last smile before he leaves.

I flex my hand. It's still burning from his touch. 

**\--------------------**

The next morning I woke up to the sound of someone starting a car. The sun has yet to rise, but there is a line of orange in the horizon.

I clean my face and teeth and get dressed. One of the rules is I'm not supposed to leave my room if I'm not in uniform. I don't really understand the uniform as anything more than just a way to easily determine who’s important in the new world and who's not. I miss my leather jackets and form fitting jeans.

I find myself peeking out the window towards Kennedy's house. The lights are still off so he must still be asleep. 

I creep downstairs without making a sound. I may not be as strong as before, but i'm still just as sneaky. There's no one in the kitchen, so I pour myself a glass of water and sit at the table. I'm usually awake before everyone except Abby. She's always the first one up making coffee and tea. She's still sleeping though. 

As I sat at the table I think about what Kennedy and I talked about the night before. I wonder who it is that he was talking about getting hurt. My gut tells me it's that girl Sherry he had been talking about. I wonder if Abby knows about his life before everything. They are good friends, but the way Kennedy talked seemed like he had been harboring those thoughts and memories for a while. 

Talking about our lives before is against the rules for Abby and I. I assume the same rules apply to Kennedy. 

I hear footsteps approaching and I assume it's Abby, so I don't bother getting up. However I'm surprised when I see Excella enter the kitchen. She's wearing a silk rope that clings to her perfect body.

I wish that I would have exited before she entered. I don't particularly feel like being yelled at this early in the morning. Not to mention after last night I'm not sure how she is going to react to seeing me. I can't look at her without seeing her eyes as she writhed in pain on the ground. 

I guess it's too early to yell even for her, because she decides to just pour herself a glass of water and sits at the table with me.

It's awkward. My hatred for Wesker is so deep that it causes me physical pain sometimes. 

However my feelings for Excella are complicated. After last night, i know that she doesn't get much of a voice in this house. She's married to Wesker but that doesn't mean what it should. He controls her as much as he controls me. A part of me feels that her hatred for me is a way of getting approval from Wesker. 

I cant imagine walking in on your husband trying to rape another girl, and then not being able to kick him in the balls. In a different world she would be able to divorce his ass and take half his money and then retire to a pretty island, but she was here sitting at a table with a woman that she had to watch her husband have sex with once a week. Wesker could do as he pleased and Excella had to be ok with it or suffer the consequences. 

The whole situation is disgusting. 

“I must apologize for last night,” she says suddenly. Her voice is raspy and I assume it's from crying, or screaming, or both. I don't know what she’s apologizing for. For coming in and yelling at Wesker? For me almost getting raped? 

“You don't have to apologize,” I say. 

“I do. I should not have interrupted…” she doesn't finish her sentence. I know that Wesker probably yelled at her and told her to apologize. But if she hadn't interrupted I would have been attacked. Having to do it once a week out of obligation was terrible, but what Wesker had tried to do last night extended past what I had already had to endure. It was sinister.

“Annette let us know that you are not pregnant, I suppose I was just upset,” she continues with a sigh.

.  I hated what she was saying. She was trying to belittle her anger from last night as if she had over reacted. 

“It's ok though,” she continues, “We know that it typically takes a few months, but still I was looking forward to maybe having a baby…” she seems like she's on the verge of crying. 

I've never really seen her exhibit any emotion aside from rage. 

“I was a scientist you know, before all of this. I know how the hormones work,” she sighs again, “I tried to tell Annette that the virus they inject you with is too powerful and would affect your fertility, but she insists she knows best,” she chugs the rest of her water. 

Virus? That purple liquid that Annette injected me with. I knew it looked familiar but i had convinced myself that there was no way that that was what it was. They were injecting me with it and I guarantee that's what gave Wesker the ability to control me. 

I hadn't known she was a scientist. With her body and face I had assumed she was a model or a trophy wife. I had assumed that Wesker was the brains, and she was just the pretty arm candy. 

This paints her in a new light. I feel bad for having doubted her intelligence. I want to ask her about the virus, but she's not sharing information to be friends with me. I think she's just talking out loud. If I ask her these questions she might tell Wesker and that might get me in trouble. 

The door to the maids quarters opens and Abby steps out. She was wiping sleep from her eyes, but she quickly stiffens when she sees Excella sitting at the table. She scurries to the stove and begins making breakfast.

“Wesker left Abby don't worry about his breakfast. And i'm not quite hungry today,” Excella said. She stands from the table and takes her glass. Before she disappears down the hallway she stops at the bar cart and grabs a bottle of vodka and then makes her way to her room. 

Abby looks at me after she exits. She looks about as confused as I feel. She shrugs and goes about making some toast for herself and I.

I don't know why she shared that information with me, but i've learned something valuable. If I don't get injected I can't be controlled. I file the information away.

**\-------------------**

Thursday comes and it's my time to walk to the grocery store again. Ms saddler greets me and it's business as usual. Even though the ceremony takes place tonight I've looked forward to this day all week. The chance of seeing Claire has me almost giddy. 

At the grocery store I try to keep my eyes up. I look at every woman's face that passes me trying to see if Claire is there, but to no avail. 

Just when I'm about to give up home I hear someone whisper at me. 

“Pst,'' I look up at the sound, but cant find them, “behind the canned peas,” the voice whispers again slightly more aggressively. I move aside some cans and I’m greeted by two green eyes. 

Claire.

I'm taken aback by one of her eyes. It's slightly bruised and I can tell that she had gotten hit. Probably because of the incident last week. 

“Your eye what happened,” I ask.

“You know, I did call someone a dip shit so I got punished for it,” she looks at me, “what did your guard do to you?” she asks. 

“He didn't...” I'm embarrassed to say that nothing happened. That Kennedy had not laid a finger on me. I suddenly realize that not everyone has a guard as gentle as Kennedy. 

“Lucky , my guard is an ass hole. He thinks he's so tough…” she trails off. 

“I got your note,” I whisper. It perks her up and she smiles.

“Good,” she looks around, “Listen that's what I want to talk to you about. There's a resistance. It's very small, but they are planning on getting some girls out. Its risky though ok? Theres are moles. I don't know who they are. I only know because of Oliviera. These moles are specifically searching for people in the resistance.” Someone comes walking down Claire's aisle. She waits for them to pass before continuing. “Be careful who you trust Ada.” 

I hadn't heard my name, my real name, in so long. It sounds foreign. But it builds up inside me. 

My name, my identity. 

“I'll try to keep you posted when I find out anything new,” another girl is in her aisle she's close to Claire looking at some canned food by her, “yeah be careful with the canned spinach it made me sick for two  days str aight,” she says loud enough for the other girl to hear. And with that she is off. I want to follow her and keep talking to her, but I don't want to draw attention to us. 

I finish my shopping and we walk back home. Ms. Saddler goes on about what she bought ,but I don't hear her. I just hear the sound of Claire saying my name again and again and I feel like I'm floating. 

When I get home Abby is gone. She gets to leave the house a little more freely than I do, to do things like laundry or trading. I go to the kitchen to unload the groceries.

Kennedy walks in. He's wearing his work clothes, but he's got dirt on his face, and caked on his boots. It looks like he was working in the garden.

“Hey,” he says when he sees me stacking cans in the pantry. 

“Hey,” I respond. 

“You wanna see something exciting,” he whispers. Excella is still holed up in her room, but he whispers at me like a little kid with a secret. 

“Uhm sure,” I whisper back. He walks to me and I see that his hands are behind his back. 

“Close your eyes,” he says. His face is serious suddenly. I close my eyes. “Ok now hold your hands out,” even with my eyes closed I know Kennedy can see me roll my eyes. Whatever he has behind his back he is very excited about it. 

I hold out my hands and feel him place something in them. It's round, smooth, and solid, and I know exactly what it is before I even open my eyes. 

“Where did you get this?” I asked him. My mouth is watering. I hadn't had an apple in a while. 

“There's a clearing in the woods and there's an apple tree and I've been trying to see if it would produce any fruit. When I went to check on it today I found this,” the grin on his face is contagious. 

“Well congratulations,” I hand the apple back to him. I've never grown any type of but if I had I didn't think I would want to share it with someone I hardly knew.

“You don't want any?” he asks. He looks disappointed that I don't want to take a bite. 

“I don't want to take your apple from you,” I say with a shrug. It's true, but that doesnt stop my mouth from watering. 

“No way we have to share it,” he gets a knife out of the drawer and cuts the apple into two even halves. He hands me one and waits for me to take a bite. 

It's delicious. I would argue that it was even better than the square of chocolate Abby had given me. 

We eat our fruit in silence. Kennedy takes big loud bites and I have to stifle my laughter as the juice spills down his chin and hands. 

“Shhhh you're going to wake up Excella,” I say in between bites. 

He gulps down his last bite and starts picking the seeds out of the core. 

“Sorry,” he laughs as well, “I don't want to be dramatic, but that was a damn good apple,” he says with a smug grin. 

I hand him my core, and he picks the seeds out of it as well. I lean against the counter.

“Thanks Leon,” I say without thinking. 

His head snaps up. 

“I mean, Kennedy,” I correct myself, “I’m sorry,” Hearing Claire say my name and the apple must have messed with my brain. I didn't mean to say his first name.

His eyes are boring into me. I look away embarrassed for some reason.

It's the first time i've used his first name. It's the first time I've heard anyone use it since he told me that first day in the car. He tucks the seeds into his pocket. 

“No don't be,” he leans against the counter beside me. I feel the warmth radiating from his body, “What's your name,” he whispers. 

I open my mouth to answer, eager to hear my name come out of his mouth, out of anyone's mouth. before I can though, a door opens down the hall. Excella.

We both straighten up. The sugar from the apple makes both of our heads dizzy. Leon clears his throat and I wipe the apple juice onto my dress. 

“I'll see you around Ms. Wesker,” he says just as Excella enters. He goes out the back door and I continue putting away the cans of food. Excella starts looking through the cans I had just unloaded

“Canned spinach?” she slurs. She's clearly been working on that bottle from earlier, “can you do anything right you rat?” I guess she forgot our talk this morning because she seems pissed off at me again. 

“Sorry,” I say. 

I can't shake the smile on my face though. 


	8. Arena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Let me just go ahead and say sorry for how long this chapter is! A lot happens, but its all important for the story! I promise there will be more Leon and Ada love, but I don't want to rush the story. That being said thank you to those who are commenting! I love reading them and you guys are seriously so nice! I have the next chapter mostly written but I'm going to be really busy over the weekend and might not be able to upload until next week! Anyways you guys are awesome and I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying the story so far! I was so nervous that it would not be well received, but you guys have been so supportive and it makes my heart so happy!

Chapter 8: Arena

The weather has started to transition into fall. The leaves are falling off the trees, the air is crisp. The sun, what little we get, is all that keeps me warm in my little attic. 

On the first of the month Excella gets called away for a short trip. She’s not supposed to be gone more than a day and she goes out of her way to let me know that she can't wait to be away from me even for just a little while. 

It's Friday and I'm looking forward to her not being around also. That little bit of vulnerability that she showed me in the kitchen is long forgotten and she’s gone back to hating my guts. I don't understand it. It's like she thinks that I'm there to try and steal her place as Wesker’s wife. It couldn't be further from reality. She can keep her abusive husband, all I want is freedom. 

The day before, I had gone to the grocery store. I did not see Claire and I can't help but worry that she’s gotten in trouble. I try not to think of the millions of things that could have happened to her. If she was here and we were working together she would make fun of me for worrying about things I can't control so instead I focus on what I can.

I decide to start asking questions. Nothing too crazy, but questions that might expand the little information I do have. I’ve lived in fear of getting slapped around for too long. Being a spy I had gotten bumps and bruises, tortured and attacked on a regular basis. I need to reignite the fight in me. 

Wekser is home early on Friday. His work is still a little bit of a mystery to me. I know he works for Umbrella, and I know that almost everyone is scared of him, however, what his specific job is is unclear. He said he requested me to be in his house but why? 

And don't forget Leon. Why are two survivors of Raccoon City here?

I spend my day helping Abby peel potatoes in the sink. I've done my best not to ask Abby any questions, but if i'm going to get out I need to start somewhere. Abby is a safe place to start.

“Hey Abby, you know how Wesker can raise his hand and control me?” I ask her casually. I don't want to scare her.

She nods her head and continues peeling.

“Can he do that to you as well?” I press. She looks at me almost to say ‘Why on earth are you asking these questions?’.

Share shakes her head and points to the crease in her elbow. She mimics pushing a syringe into her arm. So she knows that I get injected with some sort of virus. She's already proving to know more than I thought she would.

“The virus they inject me with, are you injected as well?” I try to keep my voice down. I don't want anyone to hear me. 

She shakes her head to say no. Interesting. 

“Do you know what the virus is called?” I continue. I know this is unlikely. Why would she have that information? She turns the water off and puts her hands on her hips. I can tell she's done answering my questions. Not only because she doesn't really know any more than me, but because if we get caught talking about it we will get in trouble.

The kitchen bell rings. Abby dries her hands on her apron and straightens out her dress. She looks at me and puts a finger over her lips. She's telling me to stop asking questions. 

Getting information that's forbidden is my specialty. I don't tell this to Abby, but I've never really been good at playing by the rules. I might not have gotten a lot of information from her, but that won't stop me from asking around. I wipe my hands on my dress, and follow Abby into the living where Wesker and Oliviera are waiting for us. 

“Abby you can go,” Wesker says. Abby scurries away back to the kitchen probably relieved that she doesn't have to be in the same room as him. I stand in the room alone with Oliviera and Wesker. 

_ He knows _ , I think to myself,  _ he knows about the note and Claire.  _

I try to keep my cool. Maybe he doesn't know. Either way I'm going to pretend that I don't know anything. 

“As you know Excella is out of town and won't be back until tomorrow morning,” he's wearing his sunglasses, but I feel his eyes on me, “I thought that the two of us could go on a little trip,” he says as he removes his coat. He walks towards me and hands me the thick leather jacket. It has a strong chemical smell to it, “That is if you want to.” 

I want to roll my eyes. He knows very well that it doesn't matter what I want, I'll do whatever he wants or suffer the consequences. I remember Claire though. I know that if I'm going to get out I need information so I play along with him. 

“I think I can clear my schedule,” I reply. He’s standing close, to close. His mouth curls into a grin at my response. The chemical small wasn't just from his jacket. It's like it's coming out of his pores. He's easily a foot taller and me I have to bend my neck back to look up at him.

“Excellent. Oliviera, bring the car around 10 tonight we will be waiting,” and with that he disappears into the mansion. I hear a door close and know that he is in his study. 

Oliviera is still by the door. I take Wesker's jacket to the coat closet and start to put away the heavy coat. 

“Hey,” Oliviera whispers, “Claire wants me to let you know that she’s fine. Her schedule got changed around a bit, so she goes to the grocery store at a different time now.”

“Thank you,” I respond. It's a relief to hear that, “do you know where you are driving us tonight? I ask.

“Oh no, i'm just bringing the car. Officer Kennedy is the one driving you guys,” and with that he turns around to leave, but before he does he says, “good luck.”

\--------------------

I've always been a bit more of a night owl so staying up isn't hard. However, since I don't really have anything to help the time pass the anxiety builds up inside me. I've spent most of my day with a pit in my stomach. Where is Wesker taking me? I've been trying to imagine and mentally prepare myself for what he has planned, but everything ends with me and him alone and him having his way with me, and that thought is too much to bear so I try to think of anything else. 

By 9:30 I'm sitting on my bed waiting anxiously. I have a little bit of comfort knowing that Leon will be there. I'm not sure why that comforts me, if anything it's bad for me because it means if Wesker does try anything and I decide to punch him Leon will have to, in turn, punish me. 

I try not to think about him leaning against the counter asking what my name was. I had wanted so bad to hear my name again. His face had lit up when I accidentally said his first name. It's something so simple, our identity, that both of us were deprived of.

The bell in my room rings and I descend the stairs. Waiting for me are Leon and Wesker. Wesker is wearing all black, as usual. However he looks like he's ready to do some partying. His black button down is only buttoned about a third of the way down revealing a smooth and toned chest. I have to fight off the grimace that I want to make at the sight of his chest, which is slick almost as if he had doused himself in baby oil. If i had seen him before all of this in a club Claire and I would have thought he looked like a greasy slime ball. He still does, but I can't laugh at him because of it. 

Leon is dressed up as well. He's wearing all black, but he looks more like he's ready for a business meeting. His shirt is buttoned all the way up and he's got a blazer that looks like it was tailored for him. He looks way more approachable than Wesker. I try not to think about the fact that somewhere under that blazer he's got a gun that's ready to be aimed at me if I do something that is out of line. Instead I focus on his hair. His usual blond hair is typically hanging in his eyes and framing his face. He's pushed his hair back however and I can see the sharp edges of his jaw. 

“I feel a little underdressed,” I say. I've decided that if I want any information I need to turn on the charm. Wesker is a power hungry monster, but he is still a man. If I turn on even a little bit of charm he’s going to get a big head, and maybe, just maybe, he will give me some information. 

“Funny you should say that. Here you go,” Wesker hands me a slick black box with a red ribbon on top, “Go ahead and change where, and then we will be on our way.” I take the box and he smiles at me. 

_ Creep. _

I change in the downstairs bathroom. Inside the box is a red satin dress. It's so soft and smooth compared to my uniform. I figure it came from Excella’s closet. However, when I put it on I know that there's no way it belonged to Excella. It clings to my body like a second skin. The thin straps hold up the flimsy neckline that rests against my breast. It falls just below my knees and has a slit that runs up my thigh. There's no way that this dress would have fit Excella’s curvy figure. He bought this specifically for me which makes me uneasy. He had to have been planning this evening. 

I slip into the black stilettos that are also in the box. There’s a tube of lipstick and some mascara that I apply. I take my cap off and my hair falls out. It’s gotten long, down to my collar bones, the longest it ever been. 

I look at my reflection and for a second I'm not Ms. Wesker anymore. Frail and weak and scared. I wonder if Wesker knew how dangerous the color red makes me feel. It used to be my signature color. I would wear it for confidence. It still has the same effect on me. I straighten my back and keep my chin up. If he knew he would not have gotten this dress for me. 

I step out of the bathroom and Wesker is gone. Leon is still waiting by the door. He looks at me for a second. His eyes go straight to my hair. He doesn't linger at my chest or legs, he just looks me in the eye. He opens his mouth to say something, but Wesker walks in again.

“Amazing,” he circles me. His eyes taking in every inch of my by chest and legs,” You look…” he doesn't finish his thought. He's too busy making me feel uncomfortable,“Officer Kennedy doesn't she look ravishing?” 

“Yes sir. She looks very pretty,” Leon says in a monotone voice. His eyes are no longer looking at me. He’s taken to fiddling with the buttons of his blazer. 

“One last thing,” Wesker reaches into his pocket and pulls out something shiny. He steps up to me and pulls the hair on the right side of my face back, and clips something into it. He is rougher than he needs to be, and his hand lingers a little too long at the base of my neck. “Perfect,” he says just for me. The chemical smell has been covered up by some strong cologne. 

He reaches his arm out for me to take. I hesitate, not wanting to touch him, but eventually do. He pulls me close and leans in to whisper in my ear.

“Let's have a good time tonight alright. It's a special occasion. Let's not ruin it with disobedience.” and with that he tugs me along with him. Leon hands us out coats as we step out. We load into the black SUV and Leon starts driving. 

I try to recognize where we are going, but nothing about the drive is familiar. We drive for about an hour until Leon turns into a large empty lot with just one little building in the center. He parks.

“You have no idea where we are do you?” Wesker asks me with a smug grin.

“No, sir. I can't say that this place is familiar,” I respond. 

“You never went to the lower levels of the labs correct?” he continues. I nod. Leon gets out of the car and walks around to open Wesker’s door, “That is where we are going tonight. Only the higher levels in the Umbrella Corporation are allowed down there. It's quite the scene really. We all need a safe place to relax and,” he looks at me up and down again, “unwind. Our work is very tiring after all,” he steps out of the car and waits for me to step out as well. 

It’s a little difficult maneuvering in the dress. It's form fitting with a plunging neckline and a slit up my thigh. Every time I move something is threatening to fall out. What's even more difficult are the shoes. It's not like I had never worn heels before, in fact I used to wear them all the time, but it's been a minute since I wore them and I'm a bit unsteady. I take one wrong step out of the car and I'm stumbling forward. 

Wesker catches my arm and helps me up. His cold hand grabs my hip. I want to swat at him, but I can hear Kennedy in my head telling me not to do anything stupid, so instead let out a little giggle. Men just love playing the role of savior. 

I make a mental note not to trip the rest of the evening. 

We walk towards the little building in the empty lot, and I see a man waiting. When he sees us he presses a button, and doors open up revealing the inside of an elevator. 

“Good evening Mr. Wesker,” he looks at me and Leon, “who are you entertaining tonight?” 

“This is Natalia, my friend, and I’ve brought my guard Kennedy,” he answers. Natalia? So I take it that no one is supposed to know who I am. 

The three of us enter the elevator. 

“Natalia?” I ask Wesker.

“Yes. You see, tonight we are going to be doing some things that you aren't allowed to do. The men who come here aren't allowed to bring their wives or their sub-wives. Entertainment on the other hand, is allowed, so for tonight you are just a friend who is going to be keeping me company,” he tightens his grip on my waist. 

There's so much about this world that I don't know about. Sub-wives are apparently what women in my position get called. And apparently there is a secret underground where the rich and powerful come to play with “friends”. I have a feeling the kind of entertainment he's talking about isn't a movie night. 

The elevator takes us down. We must be going far because we are in the elevator for some time. Wesker keeps his hand on my small of my back and inches closer and closer to my ass. It sends chills down my spine, his hands are so cold. 

When we arrive the doors open to a lavish room with a few other men and women standing around. The men are all older and carry themselves in the same arrogant way that Wesker does. This must be the rich and powerful higher ups of Umbrella. The women are all young and scared. Their bodies are thin and they have dark circles under their eyes. They look strung out on something. 

“These women you see cant have children,” Wesker begins explaining to me, “Unfortunate really, but they do serve a purpose in the world,” Wesker whispers in my ear. I feel bad for them. I thought that I had it bad, but these women all seemed underfed and terrified. They were being kept around just to be entertainment to these men. 

We approach a desk and a man gives Kennedy a key. We go down a curved hallway that has doors on one side. We stop at our door and Kennedy unlocks it and reveals a small room with chairs and one wall that is completely glass. It's some sort of observation room. It overlooks a round arena the size of a football field. I notice that there are weapons strewn around and a large door on either side of it. 

"What is this place?” I ask. 

“This is where we will watch the show,” he says while he removes his coat. He gestures for me to remove mine as well and hands them both to Leon, “Dr. William Birkin is a genius when it comes to B.O.W.s.” he turns to Leon, who is still standing by the door, “Kennedy run to the bar and get us some drinks after you drop off our coats,” Wesker looks at me, “and some fruit,” Wesker sits down and gets comfortable. A smug smile on his face. I sit down in the seat beside him and my skin crawls when he places a hand on my knee. 

The lights dim and a voice comes on over a loudspeaker. 

“Good evening. Dr. William Birking has prepared a very exciting show tonight,” a door opens at one end of the arena, and I have to squint to see what comes out. I'm shocked when I see just one individual shuffle out. I'm instantly back in Raccoon City watching those dead people shuffle around the labs.

On the other side of the arena I see a woman and a man come running. They look terrified and wear tattered scrubs. They go for a pair of knives on the ground. They work together is subduing the zombie. I grip the edge of my seat. 

“Seems familiar?” Wesker whispers in my ear. 

“Sir?” I asked him.

“The T virus from Raccoon City,” he says, “one of our less successful viruses, but still interesting to observe. Helps the prisoners get warmed up. You will be much more interested in what's coming after the first few rounds.”

“So we are just watching those two fight zombies?” I ask. I can't see the people very well but feel bad for them. They are fighting in an arena and apparently there are several rounds of this to come. 

“Well yes and no. You see those people are enemies of the Umbrella Corporation. Their crimes have brought them here. You and I get to sit back and marvel at some of the greatest achievements in science. Of course we are gathering data all the while.”

So this arena is where people come to gain information about whatever it is that Birkin is working on. Who are they giving this data to though?

Leon returns with a trey. There's two glasses both filled with an amber liquid and a bowl of strawberries. I didn't think that strawberries existed anymore. Wesker takes one of the glasses and I take the other. Leon sets the bowl of berries down beside me. 

“Kennedy you may wait outside the door,” he says and Leon leaves the room. I don't want to be alone, but at least Leon is just outside, “If you don't mind,” Wesker leans towards me and opens his mouth. This pompous ass wants me to feed him. I comply, remembering my mission for the night. 

We watch a few rounds of the man and woman fighting zombies and then the loud speaker comes over again. Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you have been waiting for. The G virus.”

There’s a loud boom followed by a terrible scream of something inhuman. Out of the door comes a large set of claws. The man and the woman in the arena run. 

“G-virus?” I ask. Keeping my eyes on the two.

“Yes. Remember that sample you collected from the labs in Raccoon? It was the G-virus. Because of you all this is possible,” he gestures at the arena just as a massive boom shaves the room”. You really helped create this new world. I feel like you should see just how much you have contributed,” I'm sick to my stomach when he says this. He’s saying it as if I should be proud of myself, but it's making me sick. If i had known…

I never asked questions before a mission. I didn't know what the purple vial was. I just knew that it had a very big price tag. I feel guilt rise up in me knowing that those two people were about to have to fight a monster that I helped save. 

“Is that the same thing that Annette injects into me? The g virus?” I try not to get too worked up and instead start digging for information.

“Heavens no, if you were injected with a large amount of G, you would be down in that arena hunting,” he says with a laugh as if it's just the funniest thing he's ever heard, “you get a different virus that helps make you more manageable. However, that being said, the G-virus does run through your veins,” he takes a sip of his whiskey.

Here we go, now I’m getting some information.

“What do you mean?” I ask. I don't want to hear anymore but I have to keep asking. I need to get any information I can. 

“Well, while in Raccoon City you came in contact with the G-virus somehow. What's surprising however, is you didn't die once it entered your body. In fact your body didn't even show signs of having the virus until Annette ran some very serious blood work down in the labs. That's how she knew you were in Raccoon City,” he's squeezing my thigh, “you see when I saw this data from Annette I knew I had to have you. I knew that you had to have my children. My superior lineage and your special blood would create something so powerful,” there's aloud, agonizing scream from the arena, “nothing could stop it.”

The monster in the arena below lets out another scream. It’s massive, easily the size of an elephant. Long arms and tentacles slither on the outside of its body and its powerful legs propel it forward. The man and woman turn to run and hide, but the monster is on them instantly. 

The woman gets chased first she hides behind a stack of pallets and holds her knife in both bands and she prepares for the attack. Just when the monster is on her tho something gets hurled at its head and the monster is running towards the man. 

I look away.

I haven't said anything to Wesker, but that doesn't stop him from continuing to put his hands on me. 

My head is spinning from all the information I’ve just obtained. I had a hand in this. The man and the woman in the arena below us are fighting off a monster that shouldn't exist, but does because of me. Not only that but when i get pregnant, Wesker wants to use that baby to create a monster that is even more terrifying than the thing below us. 

I watch in horror and the monster captures the man and shreds him to pieces with its impossible arms. The woman is still hiding, but when the monster is finished with the man it leaps towards where she is hiding. In a second the woman is gone as well. 

I look over at Wesker who is smiling. His teeth are showing. He's genuinely enjoying himself as he watches this man and women be murdered. 

William Birkin himself is now in the arena after it gets cleaned up. He's talking about his research, and how the new G monster that just appeared is different because of the amount of the virus that was injected in the subject. I think back on that woman from the labs that was taken to him. I don't listen to much. My head is already spinning from everything that I have witnessed and learned. 

When Birkin leaves I assume that the night is over. The lights in the area go off and the room that we are in is illuminated with the soft glow of a single lamp. Wesker's eyes stay on me. I haven't talked to him, but he takes my silence as an invitation. 

“Officer Kennedy,” he calls out to Leon who has been standing outside the door, “if you wouldn't mind receiving our coats” Wesker asks he’s had a lot to drink and he is slurring his words. My blood runs cold. The whole night has been building up to this. The way his hand stayed on my leg, the way he looks me up and down like I’m a meal. 

Kennedy hesitates a moment, but then leaves. He closes the door to the booth behind him. 

“Now that you know the reason for my requesting you, you must understand that us creating a baby is very important. Our child could be the answer that Umbrella has been looking for,” his hand finds its way up the slit in my dress. It’s cold and it makes my blood turn icy. 

“Answer to what?” I ask. I want to sink as far away from him as I can, but he's giving me some valuable information. 

“Unstoppable power,” he leans in and kisses my neck. 

“Mr. Wesker, you know we are only supposed to do this on the night of the ceremony,” I want to stop him. I want to kick him, but I don't want him to kill me. I don't want to be one of the people in the arena. 

“Think of tonight as a bonus. When you’re as powerful as me you're allowed to bend the rules. You're so lucky to be here with me. Not everyone allows their sub-wife to see the power of the Umbrella Corporation,” he leans in and he places a hand on my chest, “not everyone is lucky enough to witness something that is this extraordinary.” 

I try to push against him, but my small protests are not wanted and suddenly he's slapping me across the face. There's no way any person should have that much strength. It seems inhuman. The slap has enough force to throw me off the chair and I'm on the ground clutching my cheek. He pushes me onto my back and then climbs on top of him. His breath is in my face and my hair and I want to cry. 

He pulls the straps on my dress off my shoulders and exposes my chest.

His hands push my thighs apart and he settles in between them. I hear fabric tear as he angrily pulls my dress out of the way. 

He grabs my cheeks and makes me face him and suddenly his lips are on mine. 

The ceremony, as awful as it is, would never allow this. Its supposed to be almost surgical, not emotion involved, but he’s getting pleasure out of this. He wasn't getting enough so now he's going to get all of me. 

He pulls away and goes for his pants. I make a decision to fight back. I push against him, but he's so strong he grabs both of my hands and pins them above my head. In the struggle I managed to knock his classes off. I'm staring into his eyes and I freeze. They are blood red.

I scream. I can't help it. 

Suddenly the door opens. Turn my head to see Leon come running in. 

“Damn it Kennedy, how dare you interrupt us!” Wesker yells.

Wesker raises his hand and Leon falls to the ground he’s clutching his chest. Wesker has control over Leon too. He's making strained noises. His face is contorted in pain.

I use him being distracted to pull up my straps and wiggle out from underneath him.

“Mr...Wesker… Excella,” Leon manages to squeak out. Wesker puts his arm down at the sound of his wife's names.

“What about her Kennedy?” Wesker stands up and straights his shirt. Leon is still on his knees. He has one hand on the ground, but he looks up at Wesker when he talks. 

“Her plane got moved up. She will be landing at the airport in a few hours.'' Kennedy is on his hands and knees and he's gasping for air. 

“Damn it!” Wesker yells. He slams his fist into the wall and leaves a huge dent. 

He leaves the booth leaving Kennedy and I both struggling to catch our breath. He stands first and picks up the coats he had dropped. He offers me a hand to help me up, but looks away when he sees the strap of my dress has been ripped causing the front to hang loosely exposing most of my breast. The slit of my dress is even higher than before. I wrap the coat around me and push my hair back. 

I can't even form words. I follow Kennedy down the hallway, and we ride the elevator back up to the car. 

We make it back home before Excella. I changed back into my uniform and Wesker tells me to wash my face off before I went to bed. 

Up in the attic I inspect my face in the mirror. There's a large welp on my cheek where I got slapped. The skin is so swollen that it has torn and dried blood clings to the wound.I try to wash it in the sink but it stings. There's a light tap on my door. I go and inspect it and find a little piece of paper has been slipped underneath. 

There's a note from Leon along with a bandaid and a disinfecting wipe. 

**I’m sorry I couldn't do anymore -Leon**

The note reads. 

I crumple up the paper and flush it down the toilet. 

Kennedy walked in and stopped Wesker. He did it on purpose. I wonder if Excella’s plane really was coming in earlier than expected, or if he had made that up to stop what was happening in the booth. Either way I'm grateful. I owe him one. 

I put the bandage on my cheek and get into bed. I look out the window before and see Kennedy walking across the yard to his home. Before he enters he stops in his doorway and looks up at my window. We look at each other a moment and then he disappears through the door. 

That night I dream of the arena. It's me and I'm fighting alone and the monster that I helped create is running towards me ready to rip me to shreds. 


	9. Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the sweet comments. I wasn't going to update until Friday, but reading the comments just made me so happy and inspired me to finish the chapter early!

Chapter 9: Rules

When I wake up I hear Abby down in the kitchen. The light from the window creeps along the floor illuminating a small square on the opposite wall. I must have slept in. 

My cheek still stings, and the bandaid managed to get unstuck to my cheek and attach itself to my pillow. I go to the bathrooms and wash off the remnants of mascara from beneath my eyes. Even after scrubbing my under eyes are still dark. The whole look is pulled together by a bruise and a cut.

I don't want to leave the room today. I don't want to see Excella, or for her to see my swollen cheek and ask how I had gotten it. As much as I would love to spill the details of my trip to the arena with Wesker and make her get mad at him, I know it would only backfire and end up getting me in trouble somehow. 

So instead I get dressed and head downstairs to find Excella has returned, and she's drinking a cup of coffee at the table. She has a newspaper in her hands and is reading it. Wesker is there as well, but, despite it being Saturday, he's dressed to leave for the day. Neither of them acknowledge me which I'm grateful for. 

Leon walks through the front door as well. He takes some toast out of the toaster and spreads some butter on it. It’s awkward. Abby sets some toast out for me, but I'm not hungry. I look at the toast in front of me and all I can think of is that woman being crushed by the talons of that horrible monster last night.

“I was requested at work today so I'll be gone. Ms. Wesker, I received an email from Annette this morning. All women are to report to the school today,” Wesker says casually as he takes a seat next to Excella. 

“Oh? “ I say lifting an eyebrow. It's rare that I leave the house. It's even more rare that more than 20 of us are allowed in a room at once. I'm not even sure how many sub-wives there are out there. 

“Yes. Apparently there is going to be some sort of movie day as a celebration for the high number of pregnancies this past month,” he says. His sunglasses sit on his face, and as he's talking all I can think about is the cold stare from his blood red eyes from last night. I look down at my plate.

“That sounds like a good time. Thank you for letting me know," I reply. 

The conversation has grabbed Excellas attention, and she looks up from her newspaper to say something to me. Whatever she wanted to say, is halted however when she finally takes a look at my swollen cheek.

“My gosh Officer Kennedy, do something about her cheek for goodness sake. We don't want anyone to know that she is a misbehaving animal,” her face is twisted with disgust, “When she breaks the rules make sure you don't injure her face, or else people are going to talk,” She's talking to Leon, assuming that he was the one who had hit me. I wish I could laugh at how wrong she is. 

“Yes ma'am,” he finishes his toast and drops his plate into the dishwasher, “I'll get her cleaned up,” Leon says as he disappears back outside towards his house. 

“A mark on her face so everyone thinks I don't know how to run a home,” she’s back to looking at her newspaper, but she continues to talk, “it's just like that heathen over at the Spencer house. That one girl with the black eye. I heard that she attacked a guard at the grocery store.”

My ears instantly perk up. She's talking about Claire. She has to be. Now I know which house she is in. I store the information in my brain. 

Leon returns into the house with a small white box. It must be a first aid kit. 

“Well I'm off,” Wesker leaves the kitchen and Excella goes to her room as well, not wanting to be forced to sit in the same room as the rest of us. Leon brings the kit over to me and opens it up. Before he has a chance to start working on it Abby comes over to inspect it. 

She takes one look at the welp and gasps. She turns to Leon and smacks his arm then puts her hands on her hips.

“Hey what's that for?” he asks. I know it didn't hurt, but he playfully rubs at his arm as if it had. 

Abby points at my cheek then back at him.

“He didn't hit me Abby,” I say. I'm comforted to know that if he had, Abby would give him hell about it. 

My confession surprises Abby, but when I don’t elaborate she seems to understand that I don’t want to talk about what really happened. She lets out a sign and takes my hand and gives it a soft squeeze. I shrug my shoulders. 

“It didn’t hurt too much, besides maybe the cut will make everyone else think twice before messing with me,” I say jokingly. Letting others know I'm hurt has never been my style. I have always dealt with my troubles internally. Abby rolls her eyes, but smiles. She goes about cleaning the kitchen going in and out of the room and she starts her daily chores. 

Leon gently cleans at the wound. It stings like a motherfucker, but I try to not show it. He puts some ointment on it that makes the stinging stop almost instantly. 

I'm reminded of how he used to be a cop himself. This is probably more what he thought his job was going to be. Helping people cross the street. Bringing justice to people. Putting bandages on kids knees and making everything feel better. I try to imagine him in raccoon city, surrounded by monsters fighting for his life, but when he's being this gentle it's hard to imagine. I try to remember that, despite his kindness, it's all based on the condition that I don't try to hurt Wesker. 

“You excited about the movie?” he asks as he finishes rubbing in the sticky gel onto my cheek.

“Oh yeah, nothing quite like a movie day to celebrate a bunch of women getting pregnant against their will,” he lets out a small scoff. 

“Well, hopefully they play something good,” he says while he gingerly places the bandaid on my injured cheek. He moves my head a little to inspect his work. I try not to think about how warm his hands are. 

“Yeah? Like what?” 

“ _The Big Lebowski_ is always a classic,” he replies quickly. I should have guessed he would have liked a cult classic like that. 

Before I can laugh at his taste in movies, Abby drops something that clangs on the ground. We both look over at her and she's staring at the two of us. 

Leon's hand is on my cheek and I hadn't even realized how close he is to my face. I had absentmindedly allowed him to stand between my legs in order for him to get as close as he needed to properly clean the cut.. It’s not that it was done on purpose. Leon had been focused on the wound and I had been lost in thought thinking about him being a cop. 

But from Abby’s perspective it looks wrong. 

Not wrong, just not right. 

It doesn't help that Leon moves away from me quickly when he realizes just how precarious our position is. 

“The movie is supposed to be at 2, so the car will be ready around 1:45,” and with that Leon packs up his kit and then goes back outside. 

Abby has started picking up what she had dropped and I go to help her. She shrugs me off like she doesn't need help so I go back up to my room. 

On my way up I think about what Abby might be thinking. Did I do something wrong?

No. Leon was just cleaning my wound, like Excella told him to, if anything she was just surprised that we were in the same room and not bickering. 

Abby and I have a mutual understanding. Just like how i didn't tell anyone about her black market chocolate, she wouldn’t tell anyone about any rules that I broke. 

Not that I was breaking any rules. He was just cleaning a wound on my face. 

_ But you didn't mind how close he was standing to you.  _ I think to myself.

I brush off the fear that wants to build. Abby’s my friend in all of this, and Leon and I hadn't done anything wrong. 

\---------------------

The movie they show us is not _The Big Lebowsk_ i, but I wish it was. Apparently when they said “movie day” what they meant was “Umbrella propaganda” day. 

All of the sub-wives are sitting in the gymnasium and when the movie starts its just footage of war and death and bombings. Then Umbrella comes and saves the day. They have woman who give testimonials about how Umbrella saved them, and how they are happier than they have ever been.

I decide early into the film that I'm not watching, and instead I look around and try to see if I can find Claire. I'm sitting in the back, but everyone is having to wear their hats so from behind everyone looks the same. 

I'm surprised by how many of us there are. In the labs there were maybe 20 of us but the gym is packed. There has to be at least 100 women. 

Right when I’m about to call it quits in my search, I see one woman get up to go to the restroom. She turns her head to look into the crowd before exiting the gym and I can see her face. It's Claire. 

I try not to jump up in excitement. I have to play it cool. I count to 30 and then stand and shuffle my way by a few other women. I catch a glimpse of Ms. Saddler who is immersed in the film, and has actual tears in her eyes as she listens to one woman talk about how her baby gave her purpose. 

I walk to the restroom and see that it is being guarded, but the guard doesn't even look up at me. He staring at the pages of a book.

Inside the bathroom, Claire is waiting for me. She's leaned up against a stall and smiles when she sees me. 

“I was hoping you would have seen me,” she whispers. She runs up and hugs me, “listen we don't have a lot of time. The guard might get suspicious. In a few weeks, Oliviera is going to be going up to Canada with a few of the higher ups. They are doing some sort of political rally to defend what they are doing here in the states. He said he will have a small window of time where he can meet with someone who's working with the resistance. Depending how it goes they might be able to organize an escape for us,” she is talking really fast, but I have to let her know what I know. 

“Look Claire, I have to tell you something,” I want to tell her about what I learned down in the labs last night. About the virus that we are injected with. 

“No look, this is important. You need to be ready ok? When Oliveira gets back it could be a matter of days before help arrives we need to be ready to disappear ok,” she's smiling but something about her is off. She seems like she's not thinking everything through clear enough.

“Claire we can't just up and leave,” I tell her. 

“What do you mean? Of course we can.” she crosses her arms in front of her.

“No Claire the virus they inject into us. It allows them to control us. Who knows how far we will make it without them making us stop,” I explain. It's true. If we still have the virus in us there's no telling how far away their power extends. It's risky. Our escape needs to be planned out. We can’t just rely on a resistance that we know nothing about. 

“So we will have to leave before they inject us. They inject us once a month right? So we just have to hope that the virus is weak enough by then,” Claire continues. 

“Look, last night I saw something terrible and I have to tell you. If we get caught they aren't going to just send us to the labs they send you to this arena where...,” suddenly the door to the bathroom opens again. I move to the sink and pretend that I'm about to wash my hands. Ms. Saddler comes in and she's a blubbering mess. I guess the movie got even more emotional.

She goes into a stall and Claire grabs some paper towels. She makes a bunch of noise with the paper while she leans in to whisper in my ear. 

“Keep your guard up ok? Chris and JIll wont let us be slaves here forever,” and then she leaves me standing in the bathroom listening to Ms. Saddler cry in the stall. 

\--------------------

On Wednesday I go to the hospital again for my monthly check up. Like before, I am driven to the hospital by Leon. This time however we chat.

“Your cheek looks like it's healing nicely,” he says after I catch him glancing at me in the rear view mirror. 

“Thanks. My plastic surgeon says it shouldn't even leave a scar,” I say sarcastically. He's cleaned it up every day since the incident. 

“He sounds like a professional,” he quickly replies, matching my level of sarcasm.

I smile and roll my eyes. He's quick when it comes to my sarcasm. I'm comforted by his dry and serious tone that he takes when I say something ridiculous. It makes me uncomfortable just how comfortable I am around him. The gun on his waist, a constant reminder of the relationship between him and myself. 

He parks at the hospital and he walks with me inside. However, he doesn't stand with me in line. 

“I have to go speak with Annette,” he says. He seems nervous almost, and I wonder why. I remember Wesker raising his arm at Leon making him clutch at his chest. Annette probably has to inject him regularly as well. 

I wait in the hospital to be called into an exam room after Leon disappears down one of the hallways, and I sit alone checking, just in case, if Claire is here today. I don't see her so instead I take to counting the tiles on the wall. 

I think about Claire the other day in the bathroom. She's never been the most careful person. Where I like to calculate every move I make, Claire is more impulsive. We balanced each other out and it was never a problem when we worked together. But she seemed off, almost desperate the other day. She wasn't thinking everything through and I didn't have enough time with her to help her think a little more rationally. One wrong move could lead to me and Claire fighting in that arena against a G-monster. 

Not to mention she seems to be putting a lot of faith in Oliviera and the resistance. Maybe I'm just cynical, but I find it hard to put my trust in people I don't know. 

_ You don't seem to have a problem trusting Leon though _ , I think. 

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when someone starts ringing a bell.

“Congratulations! Pregnant!” one of the nurses yells out in celebration. 

There's applause and I strain my neck to see who it is. Ms. Saddler is almost bouncing out of the exam room. She looks so happy and excited about being pregnant.

“Good for her,” I say to myself. As much as I don't understand her, Ms. Saddler was a sweet girl. 

They call my name and I'm led into an exam room. I'm observed and I have my blood drawn. This time Annette is not the one who injects me. I notice they sent in one of the bigger male nurses to do that. 

He leaves the room with a few vials of my flood and leaves me alone. I start to get dressed again. I can hear voices outside the door. I can't help but press my ear against the door and listen. 

“Her blood work came in. Negative again,” one of the nurses says.

“What do you expect. All of those tests they run on them and the virus they inject them with. Not to mention the experiments that the heads of Umbrella have been part of, they are all practically sterile. Not to mention the fact that it’s Albert Wesker. None of those Wesker kids have ever been able to reproduce. They are all shooting blanks,” he says with a laugh.

“True,” scoffs the other. I hear them walk away. 

I’m being forced to have sex with him to produce a child and theres a chance that I wont even be able to get pregnant? Wesker has never been able to have a child and probably will never be able to? What happens if I never get pregnant? Will they get rid of me by sending me to the labs? 

The heads of Umbrella created a world with stupid and cruel rules that I have to follow, but the game is rigged to where I can’t win. I wonder if Wesker and Excella know about their chances of conceiving a child. 

There's a knock on the door. 

“Come in,” I expect to see Annette come through the door, but instead Leon enters the room. 

“Are you ready to go?” he asks. I finish buttoning the red vest and nod.

On the drive home Leon seems concerned about something. His eyes, which usually go between the road and the rearview, are trained on the road ahead of him. His eyebrows are furrowed and he bites at his lower lip. 

“Is something wrong?” I asked him. I break him out of his trance.

“Hm? Oh yeah,” he responds, “I just had a meeting with Annette and it didn't go too well.”

“Oh,” i lean forward to where I’m leaning against the back of the passenger seat, “She told you that you aren't pregnant?” I say jokingly.

“Yep thats it. Bummer right?” he says with a laugh. He turns his head to look at me. He's quite for a moment before he continues. “Look about the other night at the arena…” Leon starts. 

“Stop. You were doing your job,``I say. I thought about it a lot and as much as I would have appreciated Leon shooting him in the face for what he was trying, it wouldn't have done any good. 

“I should have come in sooner,” he says, “you know the rules. Once a week you are supposed to try with him. Outside of that he's not supposed to touch you.” 

“Yeah well I think Wesker gets to break the rules as much as he wants.” I say. I don't really want to talk about it. I've gotten through the week without thinking about it. 

“Either way I'm sorry,” he looks at me again and I met his eyes. They are warm and sincere and something about them makes me think about summer. He looks back at the road, “I'm sorry I  can't do more” the last part he says sounds like it's not really meant for me. It's almost like he’s talking to himself. 

“Ms. Saddler is pregnant,” I say trying to change the subject.

“Oh yeah. That's good I guess,” he says. 

“What happens after a woman gives birth?” I ask. 

“Well I guess I wouldn't really know. From what I understand the child is given to the heads of house and then the woman is resigned.”

“How long is a woman in a house without getting pregnant before she gets sent away?” I ask. 

“Again, I don't really know. We have never faced that situation. I don't think you get sent away. If anything you will be sent back to Annette and they will evaluate you, and then you will be resigned,” he looks at me, “Why are you asking?” 

I just want to know what my future looks like,'' I reply, “it doesn't really seem fair, any of it does it? The men don't get evaluated? Maybe there's something wrong with them.” I say with a huff remembering what I heard at the hospital between the nurses. 

“Thats the world we live in now I guess. There's a lot of rules that we have to follow. It's not up to us if it's fair or not,” he says as he pulls into the driveway. 

\--------------------

Inside, Excella and Wesker are waiting for us in the entranceway.

“So we just received word from annette. You're not pregnant,” Wesker says matter of factly. 

“No sir,” I respond. 

“Well I discussed with her our options, and she has said that the best course of action would be increasing the number of times that we try. Tuesday and Thursday you will be joining us for the ceremony,” he says. He’s got a sick smile on his face. Excella looks pissed. 

My stomach flips. There’s no way that Annette said that. She trusts her medicine so much I'm sure she doesnt think that we don't need to try anymore. This seems more like Wesker's sick way of taking advantage of me. He couldn't get me in the study or in the arena and because of that he bent the rules. Created new ones. 

I look at Excella. She looks down. She's angry I can tell, but she doesn't want Wesker to lash out at her. 

“No,” I say under my breath while clenching my fists. I guess I say it louder than I meant to, or maybe it's my clenched fist. Whatever it is, it causes Wesker to raise a fist at me. My chest erupts into a sea of pain. Worse than I’ve ever felt. 

“What was that,” Wesker is holding his arms up. His fist clenches and I feel my ribs squeezing. I can't breath.

“You will do as I say and you will be honored for the opportunity that you have been graced with. You belong to me and my family and as such you are going to be required to bring forth a child of superior breeding.” his first moves forward and I am thrown against the wall. He has never thrown me before. 

The pain in my chest is gone, but new pain from being slammed against the wall erupts on the left side of my body. I feel my head make contact with the wall and a kaleidoscope of color erupts behind my eyelids. 

I hear them leave the room. 

“Can you stand,” Leon asks me. He is kneeled down beside me. 

“Yeah I think so,” I take his arms that he has extended to me. He looks at me and grimaces. 

“Your bleeding, come on,” he wraps his arm around my waist and guides me to the kitchen. 

Abby must have heard the commotion because once we are in the kitchen she is already getting a towel with ice ready. 

The throw pushed my cap off slightly and some of my hair falls into my eyes. Abby gestures for Kennedy to hold the rag to my head and he takes it gently not wanting to hurt me. His finger brushes against my skin and again my skin is ignited. It makes my head spin, but I blame the bump that is forming on the back of my head. 

“I thought we agreed not to do anything risky,” he whispers to me. His breath is warm on my face. 

“Saying no to getting raped twice a week didn't seem risky at the moment,” I reply. 

“He shouldn't be able to do that,” he whispers to me. He's right. But it doesn't matter what Wesker should and shouldn't do. It's his world and I have no choice but to follow his rules. 

Abby comes back and she has some gause and a bandage. She takes over and shoo-s Kennedy away, and she continues to work at the wound. It's not too bad but it will leave a bruise and maybe another cut to match the one on my cheek. Leon leaves the kitchen while Abby gives me the death glare for putting myself in danger. 

\--------------------

Later that night I have trouble sleeping. I think about my situation. I think about Claire and Jill and strangely enough Leon. 

Wesker has bent the rules. Mrs. Ophelia said that we would only have to perform the ceremony once a week. That was the deal, but Wesker has turned it around. After what happened in his office and at the arena, I know that Annette didn't order this. He has been determined to have me and get me pregnant so that he can create some terrible monster. He will stop at nothing until he has succeeded. 

Im angry. I’m tired of being nothing more than some pawn in his game. . I want to scream, but I don't want to wake anyone up. I sit up in bed and look out my window. The moon is high in the sky. I look towards Leon's house and see that the light is still one. He's awake down there. 

I touch the bump on my head. I remember how warm his touch is. How it set my skin on fire. 

It’s so different from the cold touch from Wesker when he lays on me.

There's movement from Leon’ house. The front door has opened and he steps out. In the moonlight I see his bare shoulders. His blond hair. He looks up at my window.

He sees me. 

I stare down at him. 

My anger is replaced by something else. Desire. I want to feel in control. Of myself, my choices, my life. 

I'm forbidden from making my own decisions about my body. It's against the rules. The rules I live by are created by Wesker, and his rules change all the time. 

Suddenly I’m leaving my room in just my pajamas, which is against the rules. My hair is down, also against the rules, and it falls against my shoulders. I go into the backyard and walk the dark space towards Leon’s house. I'm breaking every rule they have for me. 

He sees me and crosses his arms. I think for a second what I must look like walking towards him in the dark right now. I probably look crazy. I'm breaking so many rules, and he could pull a gun out and shoot me right now if he wanted to. If he thought that I was a threat. 

That thought disappears though, when I stop in front of him. He’s looking down at me, the height difference never having been something I noticed before.. I meet his gaze and his eyes search mine. He doesn't look mad. He looks curious. He doesn't know what i'm doing, and honestly I don't either. 

He leans a bare shoulder against the door frame. 

“What are you…” he starts.

I stand on my toes and press my lips against his. 

My whole body erupts. His mouth is warm and I'm pressed against his body and I can feel his body tense. 

He pulls away. He looks confused. 

But the confusion is quickly replaced by something else. He raises a hand to my face, but hesitates, almost like he's scared to touch me. I lean into it and feel the warmth of his hand all the way down to my toes. 

“My name is Ada,” I whisper. 

“Ada…” he tries the name out. It's new. It sounds foreign coming out of his mouth, but I want more. His voice is deep and raspy. 

I step towards him, and we step into his small house together. I close the door behind me. 

I've never been very good at following the rules. 


	10. Anger and Loneliness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so sorry it has taken me this long to update! I'm a teacher and so I've kinda started back up with work. That and I was a little unsure of how I wanted to take the story. I've got an idea of how i want to continue but I have not had the time to sit down and really map everything out! But once work settles down and I get back in the groove of things i will be able to update one a weekly basis! Just bare with me! 
> 
> This chapter is a little shorter, but good things are coming i promise! Thank you again to everyone who is leaving comments and kudos! They literally make my day!

Chapter 10: Anger and Loneliness

The fireplace is the only source of light. It illuminates the soft curve of his shoulders. His hair falls around his face making him look so much younger. I am reminded that there is so little I know about him, but right now his warmth ignites my whole being and all I want is the numbing feeling of his hands on my face again. 

And yet he doesn't raise a hand to touch me again. 

“Ada,” he says my name again. Gently. This time it is almost a question of whether or not i'm really there. If I close my eyes I can see myself outside of this world. I can see myself in my apartment, or in a hotel, or anywhere where this encounter with Leon would make more sense. I don't feel trapped. I feel real, and seen. His eyes meet mine and the hunger that I feel in my bones is matched by the look in his eyes. 

It is not the same power hunger that I saw in Wesker’s eyes. It’s not the same hunger or hate and loathing that Excella shoots at me everytime I’m in the same room as her. It’s a hunger for a life we had. Where intimacy was more than just a job. It’s a hunger for physical contact that does not imply hate or dominance. 

I step towards him and wait for him to put his hands on me, but he is still hesitating. I want nothing more than to feel the warmth of his being on me, and he wants to feel me. I know it, but he doesn't take advantage of what I have so callously offered him.

I appreciate the hesitancy, but I've grown impatient. I raise my hand to the back of his head and pull him down to me. This time he is not as surprised to meet my lips. He moves against mine smoothly, but he's pulling away again and I want to be mad, but what he says next I'm not expecting.

“Is it ok if I…” he whispers onto my forehead. His lips brush against the skin there and I swear it's the most gentle and caring thing I have ever experienced. His hands are at my hips but he hasn't made contact. 

I'm struck by the sudden realization that he is nervous to touch me. He’s asking for permission. Something that I had seldom gotten in a life before this, and definitely not something I had experienced since leaving the labs. I nod my head giving him the permission he’s asked for. 

The hesitancy is gone. He pulls me into him and our lips meet once again. His hands on my waist. I weave my hands into his hair and try to pull him as close as possible. I'm gasping for breath, but I dont stop. Giving him permission has erased any reservation he had. I’m on my tip toes as I slowly inch forward trying to find some surface that we can get on and continue our exploration. 

He lifts me easily and carries me to the bed. He gently lays me on my back.

I watch as he slowly lowers himself down on me. 

And then it's not Leon who is with me anymore. 

His blue eyes turn red and I see Wesker crawling up my body. 

Leon's warm hands on my thigh are replaced by Wesker's icy touch.

I panic and start gasping. I struggle to get the weight off of me. Unaware of my hands as they slap at Leon's chest. I push Leon off me. Leon realizes what is happening and instantly removes himself from my space. I cover my mouth and try not to scream. Leon looks lost and concerned.

“Ada, I...” he grabs a blanket off the back of the chair and hands it to me, not sure what is happening. I flinch when he comes towards me.

He looks panicked as he waits for me to talk to him. He gets water out of the fridge, and places it on the nightstand for me. 

“I should go,” I finally mutter. 

“I'm sorry,” is all he says. 

“I shouldn't have come out here,” I say. This hurts him I can tell. 

“I wasn’t trying to hurt you, I swear,” he says. Poor Leon. He’s probably never hurt a fly in his life. Just a rookie cop who got mixed into something that he could have never imagined. 

I stand from the bed suddenly hyper aware of how exposed I am. I feel trapped and push myway towards the door. He does nothing to stop me. Afraid how I might react if he approaches me again. When I reach the door a bell rings. 

Leon and I both get quiet. It’s late, at least midnight everyone should be asleep, and yet someone is inside summoning Leon to go in. 

The bell rings again and Leon is moving. He slips on a frayed sweater.

“You need to get inside. Wait for me to go in, and then go upstairs as fast as you can. I'll try to keep them away from the staircase and kitchen,” he is frantic. Something is happening. He is usually much more calm and collected than this. 

He leaves the house and I watch him from the shadows as he crosses the yard, flashlight and gun in hand. He goes inside and leaves the door ajar. 

I sneak back inside being mindful of every step I take. 

From the entrance I hear Wesker's voice. 

“Kennedy, get the car, there has been an incident in one of the labs. Take me there now,” Wesker is out of bed and he's angry. I take a relieved breath. My original thought was that someone had gone to check on me and saw that I wasn't upstairs, but Leon is needed so Wesker can be driven to the labs. 

I hurry upstairs and close the door as quietly as possible behind me. I hear a car start and then drive off. 

Sleep evades me all night. 

I think about the mess I just created for myself. I touch my lips, where I can still feel the warmth from Leon’s lips. I had wanted to feel control. I wanted to be the one making a choice for once and for a few moments I felt good. I felt like some semblance of my former self. 

I wasn't here as a prisoner. I wasnt partly responsible for the way the world had turned out. Leon kissed me and he had not asked questions. 

I had told him my name. I had wanted to tell him ever since that day in the kitchen. Truth be told I wanted him to know who I was. I needed someone to know who I was. That I was more than just an item. 

And then he was there. He replaced Leon and penetrated my thoughts. 

\---------------------

I watch the sunrise over the tree line. Wesker and Leon have still not returned, and it's not until Excella calls me down later in the afternoon that I begin to worry. 

Oliviera is down stairs and Excella is pacing around the room. 

“Whats going on?” I ask Oliviera. He has his gun out. He looks less relaxed than usual. 

“The attack last night was pretty serious. They are evacuating all of the heads of Umbrella to a safe house for the time being,” he says. Excella snaps her head around.

“But Albert is alright? They didn't not hurt him, did they?” she asks. For someone whose husband treats her terribly she sure is concerned with his well being. I couldn't care less about wesker, but I hold myself back from asking about Leon. 

“He’s already on the way to the safe house ma’am,” he replies. Excella nods and turns to go to her room. 

“Abby! Bring me my bag!” she yells down the hallway. I hear Abby come out and follow Excella. I wait until I can hear them moving about the room to talk to Oliviera again.

“Oliviera, the attack was it… you know the resistance,” I say under my breath. 

“I'm not sure what it was. There's a lot of rumors, but nothing is certain,” he whispers back, “except that getting you guys out of here is going to be a hell of a lot more difficult,” he adds as an afterthought. 

“Does Claire know?” I ask.

“Probably . They are evacuating Mr. Spencer as well,” he states.

This news worries me. With all these people getting evacuated, Claire is going to try something, I can just feel it in my bones. But I also know that if there was an attack there's going to be increased security. Even though it seems like the best time to evacuate, it's still too dangerous. 

She won't be thinking clearly. I wish I was with her to try and talk some sense into her, but I can't. 

“Can you get a message to Claire for me?” I ask. He looks at me a little confused. 

“It will be kinda hard, security is pretty tight right now on account of the attack,” he says. Someone drops something in the bedroom and the noise causes me to jump. 

“Please,” I plea with him. I hate beginning, but I don't want Claire to do something dangerous. “Ok, fine,” he says, “but make it short,” he says while taking out a small notepad and a pen from one of his many pockets. 

I take the notepad and scribble my message on it quickly. Looking over my shoulder to make sure Excel doesn't walk out and see me. 

**Increased security because of the attack. Not a good time to escape. We only get one chance and it has to be worth it.**

I hand the note to him and he folds it up and slips it into his pocket. 

“Ok,” he says, “look I don't know when I'll be able to get the message to her, but I'll do my best ok,” He looks past me down the hallway.

I nod. 

Excella comes out of the bedroom with a bag in hand. Behind her, Abby is carrying another three. 

“You girls stay out of trouble. Stay inside and Kennedy is in charge until we get back,” she says. 

I breathe a sigh of relief. A part of me thought that I was going to be forced to go with them to the safe house. Especially after last night when Wesker informed me that my duties would have to be performed twice a week. “We will send for you on Tuesday and Thursday. Now more than ever it is important for us to be trying to conceive,” she adds. 

Damn it. 

Excella goes to open the door, but Oliviera stops her. 

“Ma’am wait let me check,” he says stepping in front of her and opening the door. He looks around aiming his gun out the door to make sure that no one is out there. 

This scares Excella because she lets out a cry. It's a little dramatic.

“All clear,” he says, putting his gun down and gesturing for her to go out the door. 

They close the door and I'm left standing in the entranceway. 

Abby comes out from her hiding place and she does a happy dance behind me. I offer her a smile, but I can't help but be worried.

Leon hasn't come back.

\---------------------

It's gotten late. Abby has gone to bed, the two of us finishing off the last of her chocolate bar. We went ahead and finished our chores for the day despite the fact that Excella was not going to be around to yell at us for not having cleaned the dishes. 

Sleep evades me again, too much worry on my mind. Claire, the attack, and Leon. 

I worry about why he hasn't gotten back. It's irrational to be worried about him when there's so much going on, but he's the type of person to follow orders no matter what. What if someone gave him an order and he ended up getting himself killed?

_ He’s a big boy, Ada. Worrying about him is only going to make things more complicated for you later. _ I think to myself.

Either way I can't help but wonder what is happening out there. There's no way to know for sure. The only television or computer are in Wesker’s study, and I'm not allowed in there. 

I smile. 

Too bad he's not here to stop me. 

For the most part I can go where I want in the house. Of course I only go into Wesker and Excella’s room for the ceremony, and I am only allowed in the study if Wesker invites me in. However, I know the house well enough to know that the doors are never locked. 

I open the door carefully. I know Abby is asleep and I'm alone in the house, but I'm still cautious. My instincts take over as I slip in like a shadow. I avoid turning the lights on, relying on my senses to get me to the large desk in the center of the room with Wesker's computer on it. 

The computer screen is off. I pull my sleeve down to cover my finger and then tap at one of the keys. With a soft swish of air the computer comes to life and the soft glow illuminates the room. 

There are several files on his home screen. I scan through the names of them.

_ Umbrella _

_ G-series _

_ Canada  _

_ Wong _

The little file at the bottom of the screen has my name on it. It just says Wong, but I know it's about me. I go to click on it, but stop when I hear the gravel in the front yard being moved. 

I know the sound of a car approaching. I quickly put the computer back into its rest mode and the room goes dark again. I slip out just as the front door handle gets pulled at. 

The thought of an intruder crosses my mind for a second, but it's replaced by the thought of the resistance. What if they are here for me? What if I'm about to be rescued?

I slip into the shadow of the staircase and watch as the front door swings open. Standing in the doorway is Leon.

His form is silhouetted by the moonlight, but he is hunched over with his left arm cradling his other. He looks hurt. 

I step out of the shadows and Leon looks up at me. 

“Ada,” he lets out. It's almost a plea. And then he is falling forward and it takes all the strength I have to catch him and keep him from hitting the ground. 

“Leon what…'' I try to ask, but he has leaned all his weight into me and I'm struggling to keep him up. 

“Sorry,” he mutters into my ear, “I'm a little dizzy,” he says while trying to stand on his own. 

“Well come on let's go sit down,” I pull his arm over my shoulder and he rests on me a little bit, but manages most of his weight on his own. . I wrap my arm around his middle to help stabilize him and I can feel how his body is abnormally hot. His usual warmth is gone and he feels clammy.

I lead him into the kitchen hoping to sit him at the bar and have Abby help me bandage him up. I haven't had a chance to access his wounds, but I don't know where she keeps bandages and medicine. Not to mention i've never really administered any type of first aid. 

“No, don't wake up Abby,” he says, reading my mind. 

“Leon, I don't know where the medicine is,” I tried to reason with him. I keep my voice low. 

“In my house I've got medicine and bandages,” he replies. 

I nod my head and lead him outside. I struggle to open the door, but luckily it's not locked. I lead him to the bad where he collapses with a grunt. I close the door and turn the light on and I’m finally able to assess the situation.

At first glance he looked fine. Aside from his hair that was wet and sticking to his forehead he didn't look like he was hurt too badly. He was still wearing the gray sweater he had slipped on before leaving last night, and on his arm there is a big sticky red blotch. 

“Leon let me take your sweater off,” I say. 

“No,” he stops me, “I mean, thank you, but if you could get me the first aid kit from under the sink that would be helpful,” he says while using his good arm to pull his sweater off. I remind myself that he's injured, and try to stop myself from looking at the muscles on his chest and stomach. 

I do as he asks and get him the kit. I grab a glass of water from the fridge as well just in case. 

Leon has sat up in the process of taking his sweater off. I gasp when I see his arm. From the top of his shoulder to his elbow there is a long gash. It doesn't look deep but the edges are red and inflamed, making me worry that it's gotten infected. 

“Leon, what happened?” I ask, setting the kit on the bed beside him. I pull a chair up and sit down. He immediately starts going through the kit and pulls out a bottle of alcohol. He unscrews the lid with his teeth and gestures to the towel on his table. I hand it to him and then just watch as he goes to work tending to his own wound. I feel helpless. 

“You know,” he says with a wince while he dabs at his wound with the alcohol, “when they teach you first aid in the force they never really tell you that there's a chance you might end up using it on yourself,” he furrows his brows, but even in pain he manages to form a smile.

“It’s a good skill to have,” I replied. Reciprocating the smile. 

“Someone bombed one of the labs,” he begins explaining, “They didn't hurt anyone, but they definitely knocked out the power of the most dangerous lab for sure,” he says. 

“What do you mean?” I ask. I feel bad that he's injured, but I also feel like I need to get some information out of him in this compromised state. I feel bad taking advantage of him in this way, but I remind myself that the world of danger extends past a hurt arm. 

“Those monsters down there some of them got out,”his voice is distant, “it was like Raccoon City,” he says finally. 

“You were fighting those monsters down there?” I’m shocked. 

It's a miracle that Leon escaped Raccoon City the first time. The thought of him, or anyone having to fight those monsters again leaves a pit in my stomach. I remember how i had narrowly escaped myself. 

“It wasn't as bad as Raccoon, obviously it was only a few of their animals, but it was still tough,” he reaches for some gauze and struggles to begin wrapping his cut. I lend him a hand holding the gauze in place as he wraps his arm. 

“I'm sorry,” I say. Not really sure what else to say. A part of me feels responsible for this. If the resistance is the one to blame then there's a chance that they were trying to break us out, but had the wrong target. They blew up the wrong building and leon got hurt trying to keep those monsters from killing a bunch of people. 

He finishes wrapping his arm and I use the scissors to cut it. I hand him the glass of water as he takes two pills to help with the pain. He leans back and closes his eyes. Neither of us talk for a while. Leon's breathing evens out and I think he's asleep, so I stand up to leave him alone. 

“Where are you going?” he asks. I look at him and he's got one of his blue eyes cracked open and on me. 

“I was going to let you rest. You are probably exhausted,” I replied. 

“I enjoy your company,” he admits. I assume he's delirious at this point. The pain medicine is probably setting in, on top of the fact that he's been awake for 24 hours. 

I don't say it out loud but I enjoy his as well. As much as I have tried to deny it, Leon is someone that I trust. Not only that, but aside from Abby, he's one of the only people who have shown me any form of kindness, even when i make it difficult to be nice to. He can't help his circumstances. He's a prisoner just as much as I am. Not to mention he's risked getting in trouble to stop Wesker from hurting me. 

_ And let's not forget how warm he was when you kissed him.  _

“You know Wesker won't be here for a few days. They sent them into hiding,” I say, sitting back down. His eyes remain closed but he raises his eyebrows to let me know that he heard me. 

“That's good, you get a few days off,” he says. 

“No , Excella made sure to let me know that I would still be participating in their little ceremony,” I say. He's quiet. 

“I’m sorry about last night,” he finally says. I'm caught off guard. I had hoped that we wouldn't talk about it. That I could just chalk it all up to me being angry and lonely. it didn't mean anything. We were both just under a lot of stress and it ended poorly. I had seen Wesker instead of Leon and then I was slapping at him. I didn't want to have to explain why I had suddenly freaked out. It felt like having to admit the effect that Wesker had on me. The fear he had single handedly built inside of me. Leon on the other hand is apparently not someone that can just let things go. 

“You don't need to apologize,” I say, “if anything I should apologize to you. It was kinda stupid…” I continue, but Leon cuts me off.

“Stop. I can't imagine what you're going through, and I shouldn't have done anything that made you feel scared. I've thought about it a lot and I know that I was out of line,” he states. I try to ignore the flutter in my stomach when he says he had thought about it a lot. 

“Lets just chalk it up to anger and loneliness ok? Really I'd prefer if we didn't talk about it,” I say. I'm not really a touchy feely person. I don't like to be vulnerable or tell others how I'm feeling, but Leon seems to really want to dig. He smiles at my avoidance of the situation. 

“Alright you win. Anger and loneliness,” he leans back again and closes his eyes. 

“I really should go,” I say standing up again. 

“Ok,” he opens his eyes slightly again and smiles at me. “Next time I won't do anything to scare you ok?” he says as I open the door. It catches me off guard and I turn around to look at him.  “What makes you think there will be a next time?” I let out with a huff. 

“People in our situation get angry and lonely a lot,” and with that he lays down fully and lifts his legs onto the bed. He's done a good job fighting sleep so far, but i can see his body relax and he finally is able to drift into sleep. 

I close the door behind me and make my way to my room. 

I’m pissed off at the stupid smile on my face all the way up to my room. 


	11. Chapter 11: Temporary Safety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness. Hello again. Guy's I'm not going to lie, this chapter took so long for me to type. Like I said last week, I'm a teacher and these first three weeks back have been so hectic! That and I'm getting married in 10 days! So I have been a little busy, but guys I promise I'm going to see this story through!
> 
> Anyways I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Im glad to be updating again!

Chapter 11: Temporary Safety

The weekend passes peacefully. There are no new reports of any attacks and no one has gone missing. I assume Claire gets my message. Leon gets a call that Wesker and Excella would remain in hiding until the end of the week as they continue to monitor the situation. 

He also reminds Leon that they will be expecting on Tuesday, so get ready for the ceremony as usual. This puts a bit of a damper on my mood. 

I've never been depressed. Before this my life was going smoothly. I had a job and friends and I was happy. I could do what I wanted. Be who I wanted. But now I had so few choices. The last choice I made ended up with me slapping someone I saw as a friend. 

But now my days pass slowly. I feel like a bird in a cage. Not even the warmth from the sun can keep my spirits up. 

I suppose that's why I find myself seeking out Leon's friendship. 

His days are mainly spent maintaining the house. The cut on his arm is still a little tender and his arm is stiff, but for the most part he's able to use it. He fixes cracks in the walls, trims hedges, repairs leaky faucets. Those types of things. Things that I've never particularly felt the need to know how to do because I had money, and could get others to fix those things for me. But now I sit, and talk with Leon as he does his little repairs. 

I discover that Leon likes to talk. A lot. Sometimes he only needs me to give the occasional ‘mhm’ and ‘really?’ and he pretty much has the conversation for us. It's not that I'm not listening. I just don't know what to say. Even with Claire, talking was minimal. I like to observe and listen and she liked to chat. 

So much about him reminds me of a puppy. Even in a world where he doesn't get very much choice, he still manages to be optimistic. I often find myself imagining him as a cop. He would have been really good at talking to suspects or calming others down. It's just in his presence. He's warm and trustworthy.

As much as I enjoy Abby’s company, I've missed having someone else carry the conversation. It's no fault of Abby, but I feel like she understands my need for conversation so she doesn't mind that I've started spending so much time with Leon. At least i don't think she does. She joins us sometimes. Bringing us lunch or drinks every now and then, and Leon will talk to her, but she is usually quick to leave not wanting to be distracted by Leon's conversation. 

He talks about nothing really. A Lot of the time he just likes to talk his way through what he's fixing. He is funny though. He has an almost dry sense of humor which i appreciate. He talks about anything, but life before all of this had happened. Both of us know that it is off limits. 

That's why I'm surprised when he asks me.

“What do you miss most about before all of this happened?” he asks while he lays on his back fixing a leak under the kitchen sink. The question catches me off guard. I look at him, his upper half hidden under the sink and his legs sticking out. 

“Too many things,'' I reply. I don't mean to sound cryptic, it's just the truth. 

“But if you had to pick one thing what would it be?” he continues. I can't see his face, his whole upper body is in the cabinet under the sink. 

“Hm, well aside from autonomy over my own body,” i say trying to sound light, but really it's kind of impossible to talk about that without it being a downer, “i really miss traveling,” I say. 

“You travel a lot?” he asks.

“Yeah my work would send me to all types of places,” I respond. 

“What did you used to do?” he questions. I think about it for a second. Should I tell him the truth? Screw it, why not?

“I was a spy,” I say matter of factly. I hear him stop fiddling with the pipes under the sink. 

“I know you're joking, but to be honest I could see that for you,” he says, continuing with whatever it is that he is working on. 

“Yeah not that it really matters what I used to do. I'll never travel anywhere like that again,” I sigh. 

Leon continues to work on the sink. Not sure how to respond to my confession. As much as I didn't want to think about it, I know that I'll probably never return to the life I had before Raccoon City. Even if I escape, the world is too different now. I feel like I’m too different. 

I am utterly shocked when I feel the sting of tears in my eyes. I try to blink them away. Ada Wong does not cry in front of others.

“You know what I miss?'' Leon says finally. He hasn't looked at me, his upper body still under the sink. 

“What?” I ask back with a soft laugh.

“Ice cream,” he pauses, “an ice cream sundae with all the toppings,” I burst into laughter. His response was so silly and small compared to my accidental confession. 

“Ice cream? Really of all the things in the world to miss you miss ice cream? I gotta say Kennedy, i'm a little disappointed.”

He finally shimmies out from underneath the sink and sits up. He looks at me. 

“What can I say, I'm a simple guy,” he says with a shrug and a smile. He stands up to turn the sink on. I ignore the fact that his shirt has ridden up. I try not to think about his warm torso pressed against me. 

With the sink fixed he's done with his chores for the day. 

“I'm going to be running some errands. I should be back in about an hour,” he says as Abby walks into the room. 

She shakes her head to say no. He looks to me to see if I need anything. Which is funny, because there's really nothing that I'm allowed to have. 

“Could you stop and get me some ice cream?” I joke. 

“All the toppings?” he chirps back. Abby looks like us like we are stupid, but then realizes we are joking and just rolls her eyes. 

He leaves the house and I try to ignore how empty it feels. Even with Abby still there, I find myself craving his warm conversation and sometimes silly conversation. 

I return to my room and the day passes by. I think about the things I miss. My apartment, my car, my freedom. I think about ice cream. 

I was never really a fan, but suddenly I have a deep craving for an ice cream sundae with all the toppings.

\--------------------

Sunday night, my curiosity gets the best of me and once again I'm outside of Wesker's study. The door is still unlocked and I creep in as if I own the place. The computer sits just waiting for me to investigate again. 

I go to the ‘Wong’ file immediately. It brings up several files and I scan through the names of them. There's one with my medical records, a file with just personal information, but I'm most interested in the one that says Raccoon City.

More files come to the screen. I roll my eyes. This is going to take longer than I thought, but I don’t sit in the chair at risk of leaving any trace that I was here. 

As I read through some of the files, I realize a lot of them are just recounting my mission. I hadn't known exactly what or who the sample was for, but I had been told that it would be paid for my silence. 

I'm shocked when I read through the file named ‘G virus sample’. It is the report that I had written, along with information about the virus that I had collected. There's also information about how the sample that I collected had made it possible for Umbrella to stop the spread of disease that was effectively killing half of the population. There's an image of me wearing that red dress walking in the labs of the Umbrella facility just a few hours before the explosion. The mission had gone smoothly, but the monsters down there had made my exit a little more difficult. 

I click through some more pictures and stop suddenly. 

I'm looking at a picture from the labs, but instead of me, there is a man wearing a cop uniform. He's with a little girl and they are passing in the same hallway as I was in the last picture. It's Leon. He looks young, covered in grime, but I recognize him immediately. 

I remember this part of the labs. I had stepped out of a hallway and into a security room. Screens lined one wall showing different areas of the labs, including the hallway I had just come from. I remember it because I had almost gotten killed. In the same room was one of the terrible monsters' umbrellas created. 

I remember seeing it as it registered my presence. Its black eyes locking on me, the only living thing in its pathway. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement on one of the camera screens in the security room. The person didn’t move like a zombie, and I assumed that it was some poor lab worker who had managed to survive. 

I made the decision to open the door to the hallway I had come from. A flash of blue, which now registered in my mind as a cop uniform, stopping in its tracks. Using my grappling gun I pulled myself up onto the rafters. The monster's sights now set on another living being. It lunged through the door and I heard gunshots. I had smiled at how clever I had been. So uncaring of the life I had just jeopardized. Only now did I know that the life I had jeopardized was Leons. Somehow, he survived, but he had gotten injured. And now he was here. Because of me. 

I feel sick to my stomach with guilt. I remember him saving me the other night from Wesker's advances. I remember his kind gesture of opening the window for me. I want to leave, but I continue my search for answers. 

I go back and look through the other files. There's one named ‘Similarities’. I click on it and there are only two little files in there. One is named A. wong. And the other is named L. Kennedy. 

I open Leon's file and my eyes widen. There are photos of him after his rescue. His arm is covered in blood. It's red and inflamed, infection obvious, and his face is contorted in pain. 

I read through the files as quickly as I can, suddenly remembering where I am. I see words like ‘infection’ and ‘growth rate’, but I stop. The file talks about Leon being directly infected with the G virus and showing advanced signs of infection, but as soon as he started to show signs of infection, it just went away. His body somehow managed to fight off the infection and then he was fine. As if nothing had ever happened. 

Leon was infected. Just like all those others, but like me, he was still alive despite infection. 

The mystery of why he and I were both specifically requested to be in Wesker's home is suddenly solved. But what could he want to do with Leon? For me it's obvious. He wants to breed with me, but what could he possibly gain by having Leon around. 

There's a noise in the kitchen and I freeze. Someone is talking. I close the files and go to the door, pressing my body against the wall to make myself as invisible as possible. 

The voice is unfamiliar, but he is talking to someone. 

The walk to the stairs from the study is pretty straight but there is a chance that they might see me. Especially with the light on, but I don't want to risk being seen so instead I tiptoe out and hide in a corner, still trying to hear what the people are saying. 

“Yeah well this wasn't easy to get, you know,” the unknown voice says. It is followed by silence. 

“I get it, but just know that things like this are going to be in short supply for a while. With the explosion and all that,” he continues. Again, silence. 

“Yeah I know those fucking resistance people blew up that lab for no reason, but word in the underground is that it was to create a distraction. Make all the fat cats feel safe like the worst is over,” he pauses, “Hey don't look at me like that. It's not like I'm friends with anyone in the resistance, I'm just saying what I've heard,” the voice says. It suddenly dawns on me the reason for this one sided conversation. Abby. 

I breathe out a sigh of relief. These aren't intruders. It sounds like maybe Abby is getting some of her black market items. I didn't know that this was how she got them.

What shocks me however is the way this person is talking about the resistance. 

I want to see this person. If i recognize them maybe i can try to get a message to him and get him to get it to someone in the resistance about getting me and Claire out. Any information would be helpful, and better than blindly trying to escape the way Claire wants to. 

I peek around the corner of the door, thinking that I am in enough shadow not to be seen, but the man looks up almost immediately and spots me. 

“I have to go,” he says and turns around quickly, startling Abby. She turns to look at me, with a look of shock on her face. The man is gone but I got a good look.

Abby quickly closes the door and she's trying to hide what the man had given her. I step out. 

“It's ok Abby, I'm not going to tell anyone,” I say. She looks nervous nonetheless. 

She puts the bag on the counter and some of the contents spill out. Chocolate, what looks like mint, and a little packet of cigarettes. 

“Abby you know smoking kills your lungs right?” I say sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and waves me off. I give her a laugh because she still looks nervous. Even though we trust one another, what I just witnessed could get her killed. 

She looks at me quizzically and puts her hands on her hips as if to say ‘why are you awake?’

“I just had a nightmare, thought I'd come down for some water,” I say. She continues to look at me. I don't think she believes me, but she doesn't press. 

She shrugs, deciding to accept my excuse and takes her bag of goodies into her room and closes her door. I wait a few minutes then stand. I look through the kitchen door and see the lights of eons home are still on. I think about how close we had been in Raccoon City. 

I have a sudden feeling of loss. What might have happened if we had crossed paths? I would like to think that maybe we wouldn't be here now if we had. Maybe something would have happened and we would have escaped together and he wouldn't be here right now. 

More importantly, what if I hadn't put him in danger and caused him to get hurt? If that monster had not attacked him and cut his arm he would not have gotten infected. Maybe he wouldn't have been picked up by Umbrella and maybe he wouldn't be here. 

I long for the maybes. It makes me feel angry. 

The cold quiet stillness of my bedroom makes me even more angry, and brings about a feeling of loss and isolation that I don't want right now. I used to be so good at being and working alone, but now I feel so dependent on someone else's warmth and security. 

So I make a decision. I step out into the cool cold night and walk towards Leon's house. Knowing how close we have been not only now, but even before we ended up here, draws me to him like a magnet. The lights are off and he is probably asleep, but I continue my trek through the shadows. I hesitate for a second before I knocked on his door. 

The silence makes the seconds drag on forever, until finally the door opens. 

Leon squints his eyes, sleep still heavy in them. It takes a second for him to register who was knocking, but when he realizes it's me confusion is replaced by concern.

I look down, suddenly embarrassed. He hardly knows me, but when i show up in the middle of the night on his doorstep he is concerned about me. A kind person with a kind heart. 

“Are you ok?” he asks. Sleep making his voice deeper and more gravelly. I notice deep set wrinkles on one side of his face that show just how far into sleep he had been. 

“I’m fine,” I respond, “I just couldn't sleep,” I decide not to tell him about snooping around Wesker’s computer, “can I come in?” 

“Yeah of course,” he steps to the side and opens the door for me. Once I'm inside he closes the door and turns on a lamp, casting shadows across the small space. 

He scratches at one of his shoulders and I watch the muscles in his bicep flex. The images of him after getting attacked pops into my head, and I strain my eyes to see if I can see the scar. Sure enough on his left arm there is a shiny line of skin that starts at his shoulder and makes its way down to his elbow. 

“Do you want to sit down?” he asks. I nod and he pulls the one chair out for me. He makes his way to the bed and sits on the edge. The blanket is ruffled and you can still see the indent of where he had just been sleeping.

“So, you had trouble sleeping?” He questions me.

“Yeah,” I say, “to be honest I have trouble sleeping every night. I thought if I was going to suffer I wanted someone else to suffer as well,” I smile at him. I'm testing the waters. Seeing how he responds

“Misery loves company,” he scoffs, returning my smile. 

“Yeah,” I replied. I tilt my head to the side before I continue, “I was just feeling...mad… I guess.” 

“Oh…” he says.

“And my room is pretty lonely…” I say. 

“Ada, “ he says, cutting me off. He leans both his elbows onto his knees. He looks like he's about to give me the lecture of a lifetime. 

“We agreed,” I say before he can disagree, “If we get sad or lonely…” I say standing up. He opens his mouth as if to say something, but stops and instead watches me as I close the space between us. He tilts his head, curious about what my next move is. 

It's sweet really. I feel as though I have made it very clear why I'm here, yet Leon is still acting, or maybe it's not an act, that he has no idea where this is about to go. 

So I start to unbutton my vest. He does nothing but watch. The only bit of encouragement I need is his mouth curving upwards slightly. He lets out a sigh. Like hes been holding his breath since I stepped into his home.

I finish the buttons then move to the ties of the dress. I pull it down and then am left standing in my undergarments. They are not the sexiest things in the world, but Leon looks at me like a man seeing the sky for the first time. His lips slightly parted, eyes on my face. 

I remove my hat and my hair spills out. It falls in my face.

“Your hair is so beautiful,” he whispers, “I haven't stopped thinking about it ever since that night in the arena,” he confesses. He sounds like he’s just confessed the biggest secret of his life. 

“You're just saying that because you haven't seen a woman's hair in months,” I say while rolling my eyes. 

“No,” he says sternly, “it's because of how it looks against your skin,” I feel my stomach flutter. I feel silly. What have I become? Getting giddy over a man complimenting my hair. The old Ada would have scoffed at who I've become. But I can't help but think that the old me would have been equally as drawn to Leon as I am now. 

Even with him sitting and me standing, he doesn't have to reach very far to get his hand into my hair and around the back of my neck. His touch is oh so gentle. It leaves my skin buzzing. I close my eyes, ready for him to pull me down to his lips. 

But his hand stops and he lowers it. 

“Ada, I don’t want to do anything that…” his voice trails off. I know what he wants to say. He doesn't want me to get spooked again. But this time I think it will be different, I've thought about it. A lot. I think if I stay in control and if I just focus on the two of us it will be alright. I've thought as little as possible about Wesker over the weekend. 

“Just, let me lead,” I whisper to him. 

“That's not really my style…” he starts with a smirk, but I cut him off by leaning onto him and pressing my lips against his. 

My skin lights up everywhere his hands touch me. He's being tentative, and seeing what's ok. It's kind, and gentle, but it only makes me want more. So I reach for the hem of his shirt and tug it upwards. He helps me remove it and my hands greedily find purchase of his chest and stomach. 

I put my legs on either side of his lap and rest on him. He pulls me against him. 

_ God it feels so good.  _

He shifts his position on the bed. I move with him with ease and he leans back pulling me down with him. I break away for a moment and his hands move down to rest on my hips. He watches as I pull my undershirt off and throw it to the floor. His hands move from my hips to my now exposed waist. 

I unclasp my bra and throw it to the side as well. Leon's hands continue their exploration of my newly exposed skin, but they stop before they reach my breast. He looks at me and I think he must be nervous, or maybe he just wants to be careful around me. Weary of how I might react to his touch. I lean down and kiss him. Our chests press against one another and my breath hitches. He signs into me. His hands search the skin of my back pulling me closer.

He gently flips me over and I'm on my back. He assists in pulling off the final garment from me and I watch as he removes his sweatpants. 

He starts down low. Kissing my knees, the inside of my thigh, my hip, my belly button. Paying close attention to every inch of my body. After months of very limited human contact, we are making up for it in every touch.

For a moment, I thought of him. Of his hands on my thigh and his red eyes. But then the thoughts are erased. Leon kisses my forehead, then my nose. I smiled, and then he kisses the corners of my mouth. 

I reach down and take him in my hand, but he stops me. I furrow my brows in protest, but then he slowly lowers himself until his head is hovering between my legs. He kisses me, slowly making his way to my center. 

Then his mouth is on me. Gently. Circling his tongue on the soft flesh there between my legs. 

I feel like I could explode. Pleasure seeping into my body for the first time in forever. My hands find his soft hair and I grip at it tightly. I arch my back as I feel myself close to release and I feel his rough hands cascade over my hips and thighs. 

With a few more gentle flicks of his tongue I gasp and press my body even further into him. My chest heaves and I squeeze my eyes shut trying to savor every feeling. Every flick of his tongue. Every encouraging squeeze of his hands. 

I feel a final gentle kiss and then Leon crawls his way on top of me. 

“Ada,” he whispers, “are you sure? Do you...” he starts. 

“Yes. I want this,” I say. The fact that I can say that makes me feel like myself. The real Ada. The woman who gets what she wants. 

I take a deep breath and then gasp when I feel him slide inside my. He inches himself in slowly and I feel his whole body tense against me as he pushes deeper into my warmth. 

We move against each other as if we had done this same thing a million times before. 

Maybe it's the fact that it's been such a long time since I was able to enjoy it, or maybe it's the way his eyes search my face and body. Whatever it is has my head spinning and my toes curling. Pleasure starts near my belly and courses through my body like a heartbeat. 

I feel like hes holding back, wanting to make sure that I’m ok. I lift my hips to meet his and the feeling intensifies for both of us. 

His movements become sloppy and I can feel him nearing his end. I wrap my legs around him and with a few final, rough, thrusts he spills himself inside of me. He collapses on top of me, his breathing uneven

We lay there until our heart beats even out. 

\-------------------

Sleep comes easy. I don't even remember closing my eyes. For months, I’ve done nothing but toss and turn until eventually I can convince my brain to shut off. However, my eyes flutter open and I know some time has passed. The clock reads 4:30.

Leon is asleep beside me. His arm wrapped around my waist and our legs are tangled together. His hair, which looks darker, falls in his face and his features are so soft in the glow of the lamp that we never turned off. 

He stirs in his sleep, his hand tightening briefly around my waist. 

I feel happy. It's strange. Even the tiniest amount of contentment feels magnified. 

However, the joy is replaced by anxiety as I remember where I am. As much as I want to stay here, I know it's not safe. 

I wiggle my way out from underneath him. Not wanting to disrupt his sleep. It would only be more difficult if he were to wake up.

I manage to slide out of bed and get halfway dressed when he stirs again. This time when he reaches his hand out he realizes I'm no longer there. His eyes jolt open and he looks around searching for me. When he sees me he gives me a sleepy smile. His hair sticking up on the side that was on the pillow. 

His smile changes though when he realizes I was trying to sneak out. He reaches his arms out, trying to invite me back into his bed. Even before this, I was never much of a cuddler. However, it's not that I don't want to cuddle, I just know that if I get back into bed with him, I won't want to leave again tonight. 

“I should go,” I finally whisper to him. He furrows his brows. 

“You don't have to, stay for a while,” he replies sleepily.

“What are the neighbors going to think?” I joke. He doesn't return the smile though, instead he clenches his jaw. 

“Just a little longer,” he says almost pleading, “I don't want to go back to reality. Not yet,” he confesses. I know what he means. The second I leave his home we have to go back to our realities. The world where people get hurt on the daily. Where intimacy is planned and forced and painful. I don't know when the next time I'll get to touch him without someone seeing us and having us killed. 

When I leave this room, I'm in danger. 

_ But if I just slip back into bed, for a few more minutes, I can feel safe. He can feel safe.  _

When was the last time either of us felt safe? Cared for?

“Fine,” I say finally, giving in. I tried to pretend that I had secretly hoped that he would ask me to stay, “but only a few more minutes.”

He smiles again and wiggles himself against the wall. He pulls the covers back and pats the small space of the bed next to him. He looks like an excited child. 

I slip into the covers and he immediately pulls me towards him. He nuzzles his nose in my hair and places kisses on my neck and shoulder. 

His warmth settles into my body. It feeds my soul. Brings me to life. It makes me feel safe and warm and happy. 

I turn around and kiss him. 

I promised only a few more minutes, but I end up staying until sunlight begins to creep in through the window.


	12. Loyalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update! I'm starting to think that I have a pretty good handle on my schedule! I think I might be able to update every two weeks or so! Which I know sounds terrible but its the best I can do for now! Things are going to start moving kinda fast from here on out. The plot thickens! I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Also thank you everyone who congratulated me for getting married! It was the best day ever!

Chapter 12:  
It's strange to think of my life before.

There's such a stark line of contrast between who I was, and who I am now. It’s like looking at a photo album and all of the sudden the colors go from vibrant to black and white. 

But every night when I sneak out of the house and cross the yard to Leon’s, the colors start to warm again. The shadows become illuminated. 

I've fallen into a routine. Which is something I didn't think would ever happen to me again. I thought a routine was something I had lost. Something that I equated to safety and comfort. But here I am looking forward to days. Relying on someone I hardly know to get me out of bed. I've always been a very self driven person but i had started to turn into a shell of myself, but Leon's company has slowly pulled me out of it again. 

Not all days of course. On Tuesday and Thursday, between the hours of 6-8, I am Wesker’s. I get driven by a guard I don't know, to a safe house towards the mountains where I turn my brain off, and sink into the cold touch of my capture. 

I dread these days. I don't want to show anyone how much it affects me. I’m sick and tired of the pity in Abby's eyes every evening after dinner before I get picked up. So in the afternoon I busy myself with chores and listen to Leon talk about the difference between a gas lawn mower and an electric mower. I focus on the way he explains things. The way his brain analyses even the smallest of minuscule details. I think about him outside of this world. Being a cop, helping old ladies cross the street and cats out of trees. It's a good distraction. 

Every part of me knows that it needs to stop before Wesker comes back. It should have stopped before it had even started. The danger of us getting caught will be amplified once Wesker and Excella are asleep inside while I sneak out. But the thought of not going to him makes me anxious, so I do my best not to think about it. 

It scares me. How easy it has become. We don't talk about what I have to do with Wesker. Not that Leon hasn't tried, but because I made it very clear I don't want to go there. He is the type of person who wants to care for others. Probably the type of person who confronts his problems head on, does not beat around the bush. Just so honest and open, like a puppy. 

I’m more guarded. Sleeping with someone is easy, but opening up to them about feeling and emotions is crossing a line. It’s too intimate.   
On nights that I come back, I go to my room and shut the door and bury my face into the pillow until I've cried myself to sleep. In the morning Leon waits in the kitchen with Abby, he offers me a smile and a cup of watered down coffee. When he hands it to me his hand lingers against mine. It brings me back. He eyes me, checks my face for bruises or scrapes that Wesker might have inflicted. I smile at him, letting him know that I'm alright. That’s the closest we get to talking about it, but it's enough for me to get through the days.

And then at night I find myself, like a magnet, making my way across the dark yard and into his home. . As much as I hate to rely on someone else, I find myself clinging to him. I tell myself its just the sex. A way of getting physical contact that doesn't make my skin crawl. It's me surviving. But as the sun rises and I know the time for me to go back upstairs has come, I lay in bed with him a few moments longer. Listening to his breathing. Counting the freckles on his shoulders. Breathing in his scent. Relishing the feeling of being this close to him. 

He talks to me a lot. He's one of those people who are able to so casually talk about sad things. Or difficult things. One of the many qualities that makes a good cop. 

He tells me about how he used to have a dog named Astro. How both his parents died in an accident only a few months after he graduated high school. With no siblings, he went and stayed with his aunt for a while before deciding that he wanted to be a cop. 

I listen. He needs to talk and I need to just listen to someone in order to not think about Wesker.   
I tell him a little about myself. About my life before all of this. I don't tell him about my previous job or about Claire. The guilt of how I had an influence in him ending up in Wesker’s home is too much. 

It makes me feel guilty. He shares so much with me so openly. He trusts me. But I feed him lies. I can't tell him about Raccoon City or he might find out about how I almost had him killed.   
So my stories are usually cut short by me crawling on top of him and kissing him. 

It's been two weeks since we started sleeping together. Two weeks of Wesker and Excella being gone. It almost feels normal. Almost

But then one night, Leon props himself on his elbow and looks down at me. He is contemplating something, but I don't know what. 

“Tell it to me straight officer,” I say with a smile. His muth curls up as well. He kisses my nose and cheek and lips, before pulling away.

“I got a call today,” he pauses, “I'm supposed to pick up Wesker and Excella tomorrow.”

I try to keep a neutral expression. Cool as a cucumber. 

“Alright,” I say with a shrug. He reaches a hand up to my cheek, trying to comfort me somehow, but it's too much. Knowing that they are returning, and having Leon try to comfort me makes my stomach churn. I feel like I'm going to be sick. Even worse I feel like I’m about to curl into his arms and cry into him. 

But that's too much. Too much intimacy. Too much of me relying on him. So instead, I quickly slip out from underneath him and get dressed. I can hear him shift in the bed, but he knows that I don't want to talk. He watches as I put my clothes on and says goodnight as I slip out the door. I wait until I'm in my room to let a tear roll out.   
\------------------  
It's a Monday when Wesker returns. Excella seems like she's been on a two week vacation. She walks in, almost floating through the room. But her good mood is stifled when she gets to her room and sees that Abby has not changed their sheets the day before (or so she accuses) and then she's on the warpath. She screams at Abby and I feel bad for her. 

Wesker seems happy to be home as well. He takes off his coat and tells Leon to join him in his study to talk about security. 

Waiting at the door is Oliviera. I hadn't seen him since the day he took Wesker and Excella to their safe house. To be honest I hadn't really thought about the whole exchange. I had become so consumed in the false sense of security with Leon that I didn't think about the dangerous world outside. 

Once Leon and Wekser are gone he looks at me quickly. 

“Claire got your message. She asked me to return this to you,” he hands me a piece of paper.   
“Thank you. Is she ok?” I asked him as I take the paper and shove it into my sleeve. 

“I don't know. I haven't seen her in a week and a half,” he responds looking over my shoulder to make sure no one is watching.

“What?” I say shocked. 

“I got the message to her and she gave me this note, but I haven't seen her since. I went to her house yesterday, but she wasn't there. Tried to ask around but no one has seen her,” he says. 

“Did the resistance…?” I trail off. The look on Oliviera’s face tells me that that is wishful thinking.

“Im sorry,” he says “if it was them I would know. She's more likely…” I lifted up my hand to tell him to stop. I don't want to hear what he has to say. Claires’ not dead. There's a reason she hasn't been seen. I just need to find out what it is.

“Thank you Oliviera,” I say. I turn and leave him standing in the doorway. 

I goto the attic before I can get called away by Wesker or Excella. When I'm safe in my room I take the note out and read what Claire had said. 

Met someone who can help us. 

And that's it. I flip the paper over a few times trying to see if maybe I missed something, but that's all she wrote. 

My stomach sinks. What if she trusted the wrong person? What if she ended up getting in trouble. 

I push the note under my mattress, not wanting to watch the note swirl down the toilet.   
\--------------------  
Later I sneak out again. I didn't want to, but at dinner Wesker kept reaching his hand out to my thigh under the table. I felt his cold hands high up on my thigh and it made my skin turn to ice. 

Leon noticed when he came in to pick up his dinner from Abby. 

He met my gaze and could tell by the look on my face. It’s crazy how little I've opened up to him, and yet he knows me so well. He clenched his jaw and furrowed his brows. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. 

“Mr. Wesker, I wanted to get your opinion on some new security out front,” he says through clenched teeth. Wesker's hand stops its exploration of my thigh when Leon spoke. I used the momentary distraction to excuse myself from the table. I put my dish away and went to my room. 

I cant help but notice the glare that I get from Excella as I exit..   
When I get to Leon’s house I’m not greeted with my usual warm embrace. I'm not really a touchy feely person, and I typically brush off rejections, but the change throws me off. Makes me uncomfortable how much I hadn't even realized I had been looking forward to a hug from him. 

“Hey,” he says as he closes the door behind me, “I didn't think you would come out tonight.”   
I usually come out when I know that Abby is asleep, but with Wesker and Excella here I have to wait even later, until I can't hear them talking anymore, to sneak out. Even then, I’m paranoid that someone might hear me. 

“And leave you all alone out here by yourself,” I say slyly. 

We have fallen into sync. Our conversations edge on flirtation and seduction. I’m always surprised by how quick he can be to respond to my sarcasm. 

But tonight he's off. He doesn't respond with a smirk or a playful kiss. He instead leans against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. He’s upset about something.

“I'm upset,” he confesses to me. So free with his emotions. 

“Sorry to hear that.” I say raising an eyebrow. 

“I just…” he runs his hand over his face, “I didnt think about what it would be like when he came back and I…” his voice is strained. 

“I can leave,” I say , cutting him off. This conversation has already gotten to be too much for me. I try to sound cold to remind him that this is nothing more than survival. It can stop whenever. 

“Dont,” he says, his eyes going wide. 

“This shouldn’t even really be happening. It would be better if we just stop now,” I say. I realize that I am putting up a wall. I don't want to bear the rejection that is inevitable, so I act aloof. Like I couldn't care less. It's my defense mechanism. 

I start for the door again but he puts his hands upto stop me. He takes my hand into his and looks at me. His eyes cut into me.

“I don't want to stop,” he confesses.

“Leon,” I sigh.   
“I just didn't realize how hard it would be to have him back here… touching you. So close to me and there's nothing I can do to stop him or help you…” hes squeezing my hands gently. 

“Not making me think about it would be a big help,” I say furrowing my brows. 

“I’m sorry,” he says. I think he understands how I don't like having people feel sorry for me. I don't like to be a victim. I don't like to think of myself as weak. I especially don't like others thinking I'm weak. 

“Now are you going to kiss me or should I leave?” I smirk. I try to get away from the emotions and straight to the physical. 

“If that's what you need I guess I can do you a favor,” he responds. His hand goes to my hair and he takes a handful and gives it a gentle tug. 

I roll my eyes, but he just pulls me into him and kisses me. He moves his lips to my neck and then he's lifting me and carrying me to his bed. 

We go back to our routine, but there's something different in how he holds me after. He traces his hands over my shoulder, down my waist and hips. His fingers trace me as if he's trying to memorize the planes of my body best he can.  
\--------------------  
I woke up with his hand around my bare wait. The clock says 4 am. 

I start getting dressed. He stirs and opens his eyes and watches as I finish doing the buttons down the front. 

“You dropped something,” he mutters.

I look down and see the note from Claire. I pick it up and shove it back into my sleeve.

“You got a secret admirer?” he asks with a smirk.

“Yeah,” I let out a laugh, “I don't know how to let him down easy.” he laughs at my response. 

“No, but really who's the secret note from?” he says. 

“A friend of mine,” I say. I don't really want to get into it.   
“You know it's dangerous,” he says sitting up in bed. I don't know if he's being sarcastic or not, but I laugh anyways. 

“Well you know me, not very good at following the rules,” I tuck my hair into my cap. 

“Is it someone you knew before all of this?” he asks. He's pressing a little too hard. Delving into my life more than I typically allow. However, I think for a second that maybe Leon has seen her, or at the very least knows about where she could be. He does leave the house for a few hours every day for training. Maybe he's heard something. It's worth a shot. 

“An old friend of mine. Her name is Claire,” Isit in the chair by the table as I slip my shoes on, “this note was written about two weeks ago, but I haven't seen or heard of her since,” I decide to leave Oliviera out of this. Just in case Leon doesn't already know that he's working with the resistance. 

“Are you worried about her?” he questions. My flight instincts start to kick in. Despite how close we have become, this all seems so personal. I shove it down thinking about how he could help me get information about Claire. 

“Yes,” I say.

“Well I'll ask around tomorrow at training. Maybe one of the other guys knows about her,” he says as he stands up and walks towards me.

“You don't have to, I know it could be dangerous,” I say standing up. He's in front of me and he's close to me when I stand. 

“Well you know me. I don't mind getting into a little bit of danger.” he kisses me and tugs me towards the bed. 

It blows my mind how quickly he can go from soft and caring, to sexy and flirtatious, and then right back to cuddly. It almost seems like he shouldn't be able to do that. 

He lays me down and crawls under my skirt and gives me one final kiss before I return to the house.   
\------------------  
I head to the clinic with Leon. It's time for my monthly check up. 

Leon waits until we are in the car to even make eye contact with me. As we pull out of the driveway and are out of sight of Wesker and Excella, he relaxes and looks back at me. 

“Hey, so I asked around about your friend Claire,” he says. 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, you want the good news or the bad news?” he asks. 

“You pick,” I reply.

“Good News is, she's alive,” he tells me. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, “the bad news is she's pregnant.”

My stomach flips. I'm happy she's alright, but the thought of her being alone, pregnant with her attacker's baby makes my blood boil.

“She was apparently having really bad nausea so they have her at the clinic until it starts to clear up,” he continues. 

“The same clinic we are driving to right now?” I ask. 

He looks in the rearview mirror at me. I know what he's thinking. If I know that she's there I’m going to try and sneak off and find her. If he tells me she's there, then if I get caught, he will feel responsible for me getting in trouble.

“Yes,” he admits, “but you know the hospitals are on high alert right now, ever since the attacks there are a lot of guards. Very dangerous,” he says trying to deter me from doing something risky. 

“Leon if I didn't know any better I'd say that you are worried about my well being,” I say with a smile. I was joking. There's a mutual understanding that the thing between us is only about survival. About being close to someone to not feel sad and alone. 

But when I look over at him, he glances at me and we meet eyes. He looks away quickly and I can see his jaw clench. His grip on the steering wheel tightens. 

The rest of the car ride is silent until we park in the clinic lot. He turns to look at me. 

“Do what you're supposed to do. I’m going to try and find Claire. What do you want me to tell her?”

“Leon I can find her…”

“No. if you get caught snooping around the hospital it will be a public beating. If I get caught I'll get a demerit and maybe a few lashes. Nothing I can't handle.” The weight of this conversation is more than I was ready to deal with. I try to clear my brain and think about what I want to tell Claire. 

“Tell her that the pieces are still moving. Don't give up and take care of herself.'' I blurt out. I don't want to say the resistance, because I still don't know which side Leon is loyal to. I make it vague enough that if they question him he can still say he doesn't know anything. 

“Ok,” he gets out of the car and opens my door. I follow him in and once I've checked in he disappears down a hallway, walking with the confidence of a man who's trying to not be suspicious. 

The check up goes the same as always. Still not pregnant. I get injected with the virus. I think about Leon despite my better judgement. Anything to keep me from punching this male nurse in the neck when he struggles to find my vein. 

When I'm finished I go out into the lobby to wait for Leon. 

He comes walking out a few minutes later. I try to gauge his mood, but he's got a pretty good poker face. 

It’s not until we are in the car again that he speaks to me. 

“So I saw her.” he says breaking his silence.

“How is she doing?” I say quickly. 

“She's alright. She's on bed rest because of how sick she is.” 

“Hm..” I say nonchalantly. I'm trying to contain my anxiety. 

“I didn't get to talk to her much, but she said that she should be out in a few weeks,” he glances up at me, “she said if an opportunity arises to take it and dont wait for her.” 

I look out the window. Claire being pregnant does complicate things. As much as I would love to take the first opportunity out of here, I can't fathom the thought of leaving someone I care about behind. She needs me now more than ever. 

“Thank you, Leon,” I say. I can feel him looking over at me. I know that I should be more grateful but I'm too busy thinking about what Claire said. If the opportunity arises, would I be willing to leave without her? Would I be able to leave Abby behind? Or Leon?

I push the thought out of my head. 

Sleeping with someone always complicates things. 

The fact that i've become so, dare i say dependent on him, will only make my life more complicated. All of this is made even more complicated everytime he looks at me with that damn puppy look in his eyes. 

“Hey,” he says, breaking me out of my train of thought, “I don't really know what you're getting into but be careful who you trust Ada.”

I simply nod and look away from him again. 

Maybe you should be careful of who you trust Leon. I think to myself as he turns out of the parking lot and drives me home.


	13. Options

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys so I know that I said that I would only be uploading every two weeks, but I was writing this chapter and thought that I would try uploading maybe a shorter chapter. Let me know what you guys prefer. Longer chapter every two weeks or a shorter chapter every week?! 
> 
> Personally I think that a shorter chapter every weeks is better, but I would really appreciate yall's input. 
> 
> I think this story might have about 10 chapters left. At least for the first part. This is def a multi part story and I think that the first part might be coming to a close! as always thank you to those who leave Kudos/reviews! Y'all keep me motivated
> 
> ALSO, who has seen the Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness trailer!?!? I've watched it a least a hundred times at this point!

Chapter 13:

I had a strange dream last night. 

I was falling. 

Falling into darkness. 

It was so dark that I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. 

I felt pain. In my stomach my arms. My head. Everywhere. 

Every nerve was simultaneously shocked and numb. 

And then…

“ADA!” 

A voice pierced through the darkness. 

Leon…

\---------------------

I twitch in my sleep, and I wake up. I sit upright and my breathing is uneven. Rain hits my window steadily outside. I'm not sure what time it is, but it's pitch black outside except the occasional burst of lightning. 

I'm suddenly aware of someone else in the room with me. 

“Having trouble sleeping?” Excella's voice is hushed. She's whispering. She doesn't really come into my room, so her whisper tells me she's not supposed to be here. 

“Ma’am?” I am confused. I tuck my hair behind my ear. The room is still dark, but as my eyes adjust to the darkness I can see her silhouette at the edge of my bed. How long has she been in here?

“One of the side effects of the virus is difficulty sleeping. One of the more mild symptoms,” her tone is odd. She doesn't sound drunk, but she definitely sounds different. Calculated. 

“Why are you…'' I start. I don't really care to play this game with her. I'd rather she just go ahead and say whatever mean thing she wants to say to me and leave me be. My room is my only place, aside from Leon’s house, that I can feel somewhat safe. 

“Lets not bullshit each other,” she says, cutting me off, “I need a baby from you,” she pauses a moment, “We need a baby.”

“I'm doing everything in my power to do that for you,” I responded. I ball the sheets into my fist. 

“Of course you are. You don't know how all of this works,” she says, “but I do. That virus they inject you with is supposed to make you extremely fertile. You've been fucking my husband for months now and still nothing. Don't you ever wonder why?” she asks. I'm offended that she makes it seem as if I have any say in the whole process. Like I'm wanting to be raped by him. 

“Birkin said it could be because we were not trying enough. That's why the ceremony happens twice now,” I say.

“Birkin is an imbecile. She doest know what she's talking about. I helped pioneer the virus. Me. I know more about it that she does. If it werent for her and her stupid husband we wouldn't be in the current predicament,” she raises her voice slightly. It's slightly above a whisper, but once the words are out of her mouth she looks towards the door and waits a second. Trying to see if anyone heard her and is heading upstairs. 

“Excella, I'm not really sure what you're getting at here. I’m sorry I haven't had a baby yet, it's not from lack of trying,” I say with a tone. I'm getting increasingly more angry every second that she's in here. 

“I know you've been trying. I'm not really blaming you. If it weren't for the Birkins the heads of Umbrella would all be infertile. That's why you haven't gotten pregnant. Its not because you haven't been fucking enough its because you haven't been fucking the right person,” she stands up and goes to the window. I wonder if Leon is still awake. If he sees her silhouette in my window right now. 

I think back about what I overheard those two nurses talking about that one day at the clinic. About how the men were not capable of getting anyone pregnant. Excella just confirmed this. 

“At least you weren't fucking the right person…” she adds. 

The room goes still. I don't like to be caught off guard.How could she know about Leon? I've been careful. We have been careful. I decide to play it cool. Maybe she's talking about something else.

“Does Wesker know you're here?” I ask her, trying to get the conversation to change. 

“Don't play coy with me,” she looks at me, “I know damn well about you and Officer Kennedy’s little relationship,” she's looking at me as she crosses her arms. A smiles plays across her face

“He’s a good friend,” I say  
.  
“You think you're the only person who can't sleep at night? I saw you. I know what you are doing out there. I see the way he looks at you. How you have him risking his life so for a quick fuck. Like fucking my husband wasn't enough for you,” she walks towards me but stops before she gets to close. Like brace myself. If she were to hit me i wouldn't be able to help myself from punching back.

“I would be more mad, but this is actually good for us,” she looks at the window again. “Leon’s lucky. The virus that courses through him has not affected him negatively like it did most of the men in the world. He can still get someone pregnant if he tries,” she adjusts her robe, and brushes her hair behind her ears. 

“Excella I think you need to go,” I start to say. 

“They can't inject you with a virus while pregnant. You want to get out of here? You get pregnant, with Kennedy, and then after you have my baby I'll help you escape. Wesker will have no power over you, and I can arrange you to be smuggled out of here and into Canada.” 

The room is quiet again. The attic is cold, but I’m sweating. The rain on the window making me feel like a fish in a bowl. She seems serious, but I’m weary to trust what she's saying. what she's saying sounds like a good deal. 

“Think about it and let me know,” she turns to leave, but before she opens the door she stops. She looks over her shoulder at me. “If you don't agree I’ll tell Wesker about everything. You and Leon will be fighting in that arena if he finds out that his prized possession has been contaminated,” she opens the door, “Let me know.”

She closes the door. I'm left in the darkness again.   
Her words spin around in my brain. She knows, she knows about me and Leon. She’s given me a choice. Continue what I'm doing, get pregnant, and then escape. Or don't and die in that terrible arena. My hands are tied. I feel like a rat in a cage. 

I lay in bed and think about my options. I want to talk to Leon. Or Claire. Or anyone, but I can’t. 

Suddenly I remembered what Claire said when she talked to Leon. 

If the opportunity arises, take it and don't wait for her. 

I don't sleep the rest of the night. When the sun comes up I've made up my mind. 

I won’t tell Leon. It will only put him in even more danger. I'll continue sleeping with him. It's the only way for me to get out of this. 

Maybe, if I escape, I can find a way to come back and get him also, and Abby, and Claire.

I keep saying this to myself to try and convince myself of this lie as well.


	14. Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Y'all! So, I think I have decided that I will be updating once a week! I'm super excited! I think this one is a little late, but I got busy! Guys this chapter was a little heavy and hard to write! Trigger warning. But its necessary i promise! I will try to make up for it with the next chapter!   
> Thank you again for the comments they bring me so much happiness and really keep me going! That being said I had to disable comments because there was a troll who was commenting on my story. I debated not doing it, but I didnt want the comments to be a negative place. I deal with kids every day at work and didnt really want to have to deal with a child at home also! Haha! anyways Enjoy the chapter and if you are still reading thank you so much for sticking around guys! You are awsome!

The next morning Abby is waiting downstairs as usual. I didn't sleep after Excella left my room.

Leon comes in with a raincoat on and his boots are caked in mud. He mentions something about a busted gutter and how he needed to get it fixed before the snow started falling. 

I feel him look at me, waiting for me to respond. Or maybe he's waiting for me to look back at him. To give him some indication that I'm alright. 

But I can’t. I know I'll have to talk to him, but there's a hole in my stomach as I think about the lies that I'm going to have to feed him. He’s been nothing but honest with me, but I only feed him lies and half truths. 

_ This is about survival Ada, pull your head out of your ass _ . I think to myself.

I sip on my coffee and then Excella walks in. Her robe hangs open. She doesn't even acknowledge any of us. She gets some water and walks back out. 

“She seems to be in a pleasant mood today,” Leon whispers when Abby disappears into the pantry. 

“Hm,” I respond. 

“Are you ok?” he asks.

“Fine,” I reply.

He seems confused. I look at him to see his eyes still searching me. Looking for some signal. 

“Did he…?” He wants to know if Wesker came into my room last night. 

I shake my head. He seems relieved by that. He changes tactics. 

“You look nice today,” He thinks I'm mad at him, or something. Like he forgot to put the toilet seat down again. It’s silly. He’s trying to get on my good side. 

“Thank you,” I whisper, “I wore my best dress just for you,” I give him a nibble. If my plan is going to work I have to continue with him. I can't shut him out completely. He has to stay interested in me. 

“You shouldn't wear anything for me,” he whispers gruffly into my ear as he stands up to leave. 

It throws me off guard. I feel my eyes go wide and, in spite of myself, my cheeks go red.

_ Officer Kennedy who gave you the right? _

He walks out of the room leaving me sitting there stunned. How can someone who exudes such a boy scout vibe, be so sexy?

I shake the thought out of my head. I can't think about it like that. I have to only see this as business. I can't think about how much I want to dig my fingers into his back. I have to focus on surviving. Doing the job.

It's clear that he doesn't have any idea. It would be best to keep it that way. 

\--------------------------------

It rains all day. I spend most of it upstairs sitting in the window watching the rain fall. It’s Tuesday. In a few hours I'll go to Wesker’s room for the ceremony. It's the first time back at the house. I wish that I could talk to Leon. He would distract me and the day wouldn't go by so slowly. It’s best I keep a distance from him. Not only because of the guilt of my plan, but also because Wesker has been home all day. 

At 5 I take my shower, I go downstairs and go to his room. They are waiting for me. Excella is pissed, as usual. 

Earlier , she passed me in the hallway. I hadn't expected to see her, but she looked at me and I nodded. I confirm my acceptance of her offer. I sealed my fate.

But I guess that me accepting wasn't going to make her hate me any less, because the look on her face looks like I might as well have cursed her and her entire family. 

Whatever, I don't have to like her. And she doesn't have to like me. As long as she stays true to her word. 

“It’s good to be back home,” Wesker states as I position myself on the bed. I watch in silence as he removes his coat and rolls up the sleeves of his button down. Even though the room is dimly lit, his sunglasses remain. I try not to think about the blood red of his eyes. Instead I imagine a blue sky. Not a cloud in sight. 

Excella positions herself beneath me and the ceremony begins. Its business as usual. I fight the urge to scream. 

Then something not so usual happens. 

Wesker’s cold hand finds its way to one of my ankles. Typically it is very clinical. He hardly touches me except for when he parts my legs. But his hand is there on my ankle in almost an intimate way. I look at Excella to see if she notices, but she’s looking off to the side. 

I feel his hand as it makes its way up to my thigh. His fingertips dig into my flesh. 

This is not allowed. He's never done it before and from what I understand he’s not supposed to. I'm simply a vessel and him touching me in such an intimate way is breaking the rules. His hand snakes its way to my hip where he grips me and pulls me further onto him. I let out a gasp. 

The sound breaks Excella out of her trance and her eyes meet mine. I glance down at where Wesker is holding me and her eyes follow. She notices. 

“Albert, your hand.” she states. If he hears her he doesn't show it. He continues his assault.

“Albert.” she says again. This time more firm. 

I look at him to see that he has lifted his gaze to her. I can see his eyebrows have furrowed. He’s angry. That doesn't stop Excella from continuing. 

“Albert your hand is not supposed to be on her…” but she doesn't finish her sentence. 

Everything happens so fast. The hand that was on my hip shoots up and I feel my head drop onto the bed as Excella flies across the room. The thud of her body hitting the floor shakes the whole room. She didn't even have a chance to scream. I roll onto my side and try to run out of the room, but pain shoots into my lungs. I can't breathe or move. I can only feel fear and pain. 

I'm forced to turn around and Wesker has his hand raised towards me. 

“Remove your dress and get on the bed. Now.” he states as he lowers his hand. 

Running is futile. There's no way out of this this time. Excellas limp body can’t yell at him to stop. I’m taken back to the arena where he tried to have his way with me. This is more malicious than the ceremony. More violent. I scream for Leon to burst through the door like then but there is only silence.

Despite his command I don't budge. My body and brain screaming at me to do something. 

“I’ll kill you right here, right now,” he says through gritted teeth, “I wouldn't even have to try.”

“You wouldn't. You need me.'' I say. I don't know what possessed me to say that. My hard-headed-ness breaks through the fear. 

He raises his arms, and pain once again tears through my body. I feel my brain pulse inside my skull. I open my mouth to scream but there is only silence. I fall to my knees 

This is it. 

He’s going to kill me. 

I overestimated my value. 

But just as suddenly as the pain appeared it’s gone. I'm gasping for breath.

“Do as I say now,” he says as I try to regain focus. 

This time I don't hesitate. I fumble with the buttons of my dress and while I do that Wesker walks over to Excella’s crumpled form. I can see she's breathing, and she stirs a little. Wesker reaches down to her and her body convulses. I get a glance of her face, and see the dark tendrils in her eyes once again. He clenches his fist and then she is still. Not dead, but unconscious. 

I step out of my dress and sit on the bed. He walks towards me unbuttoning his shirt. He reaches into my hair and pulls my head back roughly. 

“I won't kill you, but I can make you wish that I had. It's an honor for you to be here. You belong to me,” and then he crushes his lips against mine. He crawls on top of me. 

I didn't think I could feel any less in control. 

Everything I was, is gone. I feel empty. 

Once again I think of the sky. 

\-------------------

The door closes softly behind me. There's a click and I know that my duties are over. 

I stand in the hallway, not knowing what to do. Running is my first instinct. Going back into the room and killing him is my second. 

I'm physically incapable of doing either one of those things. I’m struggling to breath again. My body feels foreign and sore. I think I'm having a panic attack. I walk into the kitchen. The stove clock reading 3 am. 

I fumble with the door handle. I'm not really thinking. My brain is a fog. But I feel the cold air as it brushes against my skin. I’m freezing. It has to be only a few degrees outside. I'm not wearing shoes. I left somewhere. Maybe I can just walk into the woods. I'll keep walking and get lost. No one will find me. I can lay down and sleep. 

_ That's not you Ada. Fight it _ . I think to myself. 

The lights of Leon's home are on. That's strange. He's still awake. His door opens suddenly and I see his silhouette. He rushes outside. His blue eyes filled with worry. He's got a blanket and he wraps me in it and easily lifts me into his arms. He carries me back into his home and lays me down on the bed. 

I'm barely aware of what happens. I feel him messing with my feet and then there's a warm towel on my head. He covers me in another blanket and he says my name.

I close my eyes and feel tears roll off my cheeks. Then I feel gentle fingers wiping them away. 

I open my eyes one last time and look at him. 

His eyes are so blue. Just like the sky. 

I drift into a deep sleep. 


	15. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK! Hello again! This is kind of a longer chapter, and its a little different! See the end notes!

“Leon, I think I heard footsteps,” Sherry's voice is small in the vast hallway, but I heard it too. The clicking of heels. Steady and sure, nothing like the shuffle of the zombies that I had grown accustomed to hearing.

“I think your right Sherry,” I reply. Im trying to keep calm, I don't want to scare her any more than she needs to be, but i know, after the encounters I've had tonight, that the zombies aren't the only monsters we need to look out for.

“Maybe it’s Chuck Norris,” I say. Trying to get a laugh out of her. She looks at me with questioning look on her face. “Oh c'mon you know who Chuck Norris is right?”

“Is he an actor?” she asks.

“Chuck Norris is…” but I didn't get a chance to tell her who he was. We both heard it at the same time. A door slamming shut. Whoever it was was getting further and further away from us. 

I'm not sure why I was so determined to find that person at that moment. Maybe it was my never ending need to save people who aren't asking for help, or maybe I was just looking forward to not being the only adult left alive. Whatever it was, I started power walking down the hallway, trying to get to them as fast as possible, Sherry's footsteps fading behind me as I powered forward. 

Then the door opened again and I let out a relieved sigh. 

They are coming back.

I didn't expect to see the monster. 

“Sherry run!'' I screamed as I turned around. She stood frozen in place when she laid eyes on the terrible, impossible monster. I could hear its claws digging into the metal, its eyes set on dinner and dessert. 

Sherry screamed and I turned around in time to see the animal leap into the air towards me. I raised my gun and unloaded my magazine into its oily flesh. It missed me barley, but it fell to the ground having felt the impact of my bullets. 

“Come on we gotta ago,” I grabbed Sherry’s hand and dragged her around the monster and down the hallway towards the door.

“LEON!'' Sherry looked back and saw the monster, having recovered, get back up and start charging towards us again. I reloaded my gun and pulled the door open with enough time to shove Sherry through. As I tried to squeeze in as well I felt a surge of pain in my arm. 

It's got me. This is the end. 

My vision went white as I used my other arm to continue to shoot at the monster. I pulled the trigger repeatedly until it was empty and all i could hear was myself screaming out in pain and Sherry crying.

The monster was dead, but I was infected.

I could tell, the moment the adrenaline stopped pumping. 

My arm felt swollen and hot and my brain had trouble focussing on anything. 

Somehow I was able to get Sherry and I onto the train. We evacuated the city with seconds to spare and then I collapsed. I remember sherry crying. She pat my head and did her best to cover up my arm, but I was a goner. 

I remember coming to terms with death. My only solace was knowing i had saved one person. Sherry would survive. I had done at least one thing right. 

And then I woke up. I was in a hospital, or a lab. The room was stark white and i could hear the steady beep of the machines i was hooked up to.   
The pain in my arm was gone but something felt different. I felt a pull in the center of my chest right below my lungs. I looked over and the wound from the monster was patched up, but the heat and pain were gone.

“Mr. Kennedy, can you hear me?” a voice cut through the silence. Its unfamiliar. The hint of an accent.

“Where am I?” I ask.

“You're safe.” 

“Wheres Sherry?” I ask, suddenly remembering the little girl i had fought so hard to save. She must be terrified wherever she is. 

“She's safe for now. But that can all change,” the voice says. 

At that moment I know I hated whoever the voice belonged to. 

A door opened and a doctor came in. he started checking my vitals. He was a small guy with wirey grey hair. No way the deep and stern voice belonged to him. Another man entered and the pull in my lungs got stronger. 

“Mr. Kennedy, I would like to make a deal with you,” it was the man the voice belonged to. He wore all black and his eyes were covered with a pair of black sunglasses. 

\------------------------

I wake up and she’s still asleep. I’m slumped over, my ass in a chair and my forehead on the bed beside her. Not the most comfortable, but I wanted to be close by if she needed something. 

The sun has barely started to come up. I know I should wake her up, but I don’t want her to go into the house. So instead I get dressed and go into the kitchen to find Abby rummaging around. I’ve tried to think of an excuse, some lie to tell about where she is and why she wont be coming to breakfast. Abby fixed three mugs of the watered down coffee. One for Excella, one for me, and one for Ada. 

Abby has been here longer than me. She knew the woman that was in this house even before I came to live here. Although I don't want to tell her exactly that Ada is asleep in my home, I want her to know that Ada is not coming down today. 

“She said she wasn't feeling good last night. I bet she will stay up in her room today,``I try to say nonchalantly. I’ve never really been a good liar. 

She puts her hands on her hips and gives me a look that tells me she's trying to decide if it's worth it to try and pry, but she rolls her eyes. I guess she decided she'd rather just not know. I don't blame her. If she knew about ada and had information about our relationship, she could be killed just for knowing. It's better for her to just pretend that she doesn't know anything. 

I grab a piece of toast and wrap another in a napkin to take it to Ada. I'm trying to be fast, but then I hear the bedroom door open. Wesker's heavy footsteps can be heard. 

I clench my fist. I wanted to avoid seeing him. I want nothing more than to punch him. Beat his ass. Wrap my hands around his neck and...

She's safe as long as you follow my orders… 

His words from in the hospital rattle around in my brain. I think about Sherry. How I’m the only thing standing between freedom and the labs. 

But the image of Ada last night makes my blood boil and I want to get out of this room before I lose control.

He comes into the kitchen. He’s cool as a cucumber. You wouldn't think he was the monster he really is. There's no sign of remorse which makes me even angrier. 

“Oliviera is on his way to take us to the hospital. Excella seems to have fallen ill,” that's all he says before he walks out. 

Abby clears her throat and I notice that the toast that was carefully wrapped in a napkin has been squished in my fist. Abby takes it from me, noticing that my hands are trembling. She puts two more slices of bread in the toaster and pulls a seat out for me to sit at. 

I refuse the seat and Abby gives me a pat on the back. She carries about her morning duties as we wait for the toast. We hear the bedroom door open and close and then the front door. Oliviera is here and I hear him and Wesker exchange a few words followed by a slight gasp from Oliviera. 

There’s some shuffling about and then the door closes. It’s just us now. The kitchen is silent.   
The toast pops out making both of us jump. I let out a breath and Abby wraps up my contraband for me. She pushes Ada’s mug towards me and gives me a wink. The only acknowledgement that she knows that there is something else going on.

I head back outside. 

I think at one point I might have had good intentions. 

Wesker told me that the two of us had become infected. Our bodies had somehow been able to recover from infection, which was unique. But because of the uniqueness of it, they needed to keep up to run tests and experiments. He said that if I agreed to remain in his custody and let them use my blood to run tests that sherry could be set free. They would send her to Canada where she would be safe and not take part in the new world that umbrella created. 

I agreed not fully knowing what my role would be. But after the tests were run and the experiments performed, Wesker asked to keep me on his property. A puppet to help him keep order in his world. If I followed his orders, no questions asked, sherry would be safe.   
I turned a blind eye, thinking that I was protecting people. 

I was so sure of that deal. I would work for Wesker, keep the peace and keep him safe. But how many people's lives did it cost? Rebecca jumping out that window was a crack in my resolve. I followed orders and she killed herself. 

And then ada came along. I had never seen someone's spirit die before, but with each day that passed I could see the fight in her eyes die out. 

It returned somewhat when we started meeting. She seemed to perk up. Smile more. It felt good knowing that maybe I had something to do with it. I selfishly thought that if i could make her happy enough she would be alright. 

But last night, seeing her broken and bruised made me realize how fucked up i was. I could have done more. I could have done something to stop Wesker. But I sat by in the hopes that it kept Sherry safe. I didn't even have any proof that Sherry was still alive. 

I was allowing terrible things to happen to innocent people. 

\--------------------

When I enter the room, Ada is sitting up in bed. She woke up and she was alone. I feel a pang of guilt.

Knowing her though, I think she prefers to be alone. Most of the time. 

“Good morning,” she says when I enter my home. 

I'm a little shocked by the smile on her face. Not that I'm not happy to see it. Her soft smile sends bursts of warmth through my veins. 

“Hey,” I reply, “I brought you some breakfast and some coffee,” I pulled a chair over and hand her the food. 

“I would love to stay for breakfast, but I’m sure someone will wonder where I am,” she says with a stretch.  
“They left. Excella was not feeling well. They had to take her to the hospital,``I say. I'm not stupid. I know that what happened with Ada last night is probably directly related to Excella not feeling well. This is confirmed by the scoff from Ada. 

“Lucky me. I get the day off,” she picks a piece of bread off, but doesn't eat it. 

“You can stay here for a while if you need to,” I say. I don't want her to leave, “I can get you some fresh clothes,” I offer. 

I've built up this reality in my head. If she is in this house, she's safe. I can protect her. It's just the two of us and the outside world doesn't exist. She trusts me and cares about me. I know that this is an idea that i have built in my own head, but that doesn't stop me from believing it. 

Ada’s not really the type to want, or need, protection. Although she doesn't tell me much about her previous life, I imagine she was a badass. I think maybe an FBI agent. Or a boxer. Something where she was putting other people in their place.

“I would actually like to take a shower,” she says. 

“Let me get you a towel,” I reply. She stands up and starts to undress.

Even though I've seen her naked, it doesn't feel right to look at her right now. I turn around and hold the towel out behind my back. 

“Nothing you haven't seen, officer,” she says. I can hear the smile in her voice. 

I don't say anything. I just wait until I hear the water start, and then I go about tidying up. Her clothes are on the floor, but I lay out some sweats and a sweater for her. I'll take the dress inside for Abby to clean. 

Or burn.

I can grab her some fresh clothes from her room.

I sit down and wait for her to be finished. My knee bounces up and down. A nervous habit from childhood. It seems that the more I try to help her the more she pushes me away. I want to help her, but she wants to keep me at a distance. I can't blame her. I haven't always been very warm towards her. I think about that first day I met her. How I basically told her I would shoot her if she tried anything funny against Wesker. How fucked up is that? I was more willing to protect that monster than I was her. 

I typically know what to do. Im good under pressure, but I don't know what I can do for her right now. 

That's not true. You know what you want to do. You want to hold her and make her feel better, and know that she doesn't blame you for her situation, but you're scared that if you do anything, or say anything wrong she will realize how much pain you have caused her and she'll never want to look at you again. 

The water stops and she steps out. She's wrapped in a towel and I avert my gaze.

“Seriously Leon,” she says. I look over at her. Her hair is wet and it sticks to her creamy skin. I see light purple bruises that have begun to appear on her arms.   
“I left some clothes out for you,” I replied. I clear my throat. My guilt building up. 

She gets dressed and sits on my bed. I sit down across from her, afraid to get too close, and it's quiet. She nibbles on her toast. 

She’s not one to talk about difficult things. It's something that endears me to her. I feel like I can't function if I'm not talking about how I feel. She's the opposite. She keeps everything in. she's a mystery in every way possible. 

“Stop looking at me like that,” she finally says leaning back in the bed. 

“Like what?” I say. 

“Like I'm a wounded animal you found on the side of the road,” she snaps back.

“Ada about last night,” I start. I want to tell her she can talk to me. She can let me know how she feels. She can trust me. 

“I don't want to talk about it,” she says with a shrug, “It’s not going to get me out of here. That’s all I’m going to say about it.” her tone is even, but I can tell she’s beginning to feel trapped. I ease up.

“Ok fine,” I say putting my hands up in defeat, “but you gotta know I just want to help ok?”  
“If you want to help, don’t make me talk about it. I don't need a pity party,” she snaps. I look down. 

I want to understand. I do. Every part of me wants to take her away from here. She doesn't belong here. 

She comes over to me and hugs me. I'm shocked, I'm usually the one who craves hugging and cuddling. I hug her back, and take a deep breath. Her smell fills me senses and pulls me back to earth.

“Thinking about it will only make it worse. If you want to help me make me think about anything else.”

I squeeze her slightly and then let go. She looks up at me with a slight grin on her face. I put my hand on her cheek and she leans into it.

“This is only the beginning of what he's capable of. I don't know what to do if something happens to you Ada,” I admit. The words had just spilled out of my mouth. I hadn't expected to say it, but it's the truth. If something happened to her…

She looks at me like she’s contemplating my words. 

“I need you too, Leon, I've got plenty to fight for,” she gives me a kiss on my cheek and then goes back to the bed to nibble on her toast. She pats the empty space on the bed inviting me to come and sit. 

We spend the rest of the morning chatting. She leans against me and I hold her. 

I silently make the decision to push my own feelings of guilt aside. I'm not the victim here. If Ada needs me to be a distraction that's what I'll be. 

It’s the least I can do.

\------------------

Tricking Leon was easy. I feel bad for doing it because I know what he said was sincere. 

But I can't think about his feelings. I have to think about my survival. Last night was the worst in my life. It solidified my need to escape. The only way that's going to happen is with Excella’s help. 

Leon doesn't need to know. If he knew, he wouldn't agree to it. He would not want me to trust Excella and he would end up telling Wesker or someone, and I would be screwed. 

If anything, his feelings have just made things easier for me. He's eager to help me and will have no problem continuing our relationship if he thinks it's to help me. 

I ignore the voice in my head that keeps telling me how much I need him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH! Ok! So, I am not going to lie this chapter was a struggle to write. I LOVE Leon (obviously) and trying to write from his point of view was such a challenge! I had a whole different chapter written, but Leon just didnt sound right so I deleted everything and started this YESTERDAY! Anyways let me know what you think! I'm loving weekly uploads (even though this one was a little late), but it is such a stress reliever for me! Thank you everyone who was so supportive on that last chapter! I know it was a tough one to read, but you guys were so supportive it made me so happy!


	16. Gin and Tonic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! Guys I'm sorry I'm updating a little late! If it is any consolation, it is a slightly longer chapter!   
> I really appreciate all the feedback from the last chapter. I was really nervous about writing from Leon's perspective because he is my emotional support fictional boyfriend and I wanted to do his character justice! You guys were so nice and it made me feel like I did right by his character!  
> Anyways Enjoy the chapter! Things are getting intense ;)

Snow has started to fall. It blankets the house making it even more like a tomb. I lay in my bed. Still. Counting the footsteps downstairs. 

I can tell that Wesker is still downstairs. I hear his heavy, demanding footsteps. Taunting me. Daring me to come downstairs. 

He’s started lingering in the morning. Even though he has to get to work relatively early, he's been pushing the time hoping that he will catch me before he leaves. Which is why I've been spending my mornings in bed instead. I'll skip breakfast if it means I don't have to look at him, smell him, feel his presence. Being in the same house as him is torture enough. 

Excella has stayed in her room. I haven't seen her since that night. I assume our deal is still on. 

I lay in bed and try to think about it for a moment. I go over my plan in my head.

_ Get pregnant, have a baby, Excella gets you out. Find Chris, save Claire, beg Leon for forgiveness…? _

That last bit lingers in my brain. My guilt of not letting him in on my plan, of not giving him a choice, makes me sick. 

_ Stop you haven't been given a choice either. This is your life that's on the line Ada. Save yourself and then see if you can save others.  _

I’ve never really had a great desire to have kids. My job wouldn't have really allowed for it, and I don’t even think I would be a good mother. But now i can't stop thinking about getting pregnant. About how much I need to get pregnant. It’s crazy how your wants and needs change when you're staring death in the face. 

The only problem in my master plan is Leon hasn’t wanted to be intimate with me since that night. A crucial part of the plan. I’ve gone out to his house to try and initiate something. Anything. But he makes up some excuse. He’s tired or sore. I know he’s just trying to give me time and space, which, honestly I probably need, but I can't afford to waste any more time. 

I hear the front door open and close. Wesker is gone. I get dressed and put on my extra layers, knowing that it's my day to trudge through the snow to the grocery store. I was given a thick red cloak made of wool to keep my warm. I would hate the thing if it didn't keep heat in so well.

My torso is warm but my hands are perpetually cold. I put them on my neck to try and steal some heat and then suddenly I'm dizzy. 

Trauma is a tricky thing. Some moments I'm fine. I'm thinking clearly. walking , talking like normal. And then the next thing I know I'm dizzy. My stomach is doing flips. I can feel my blood pounding through my body. 

_ Cold hands pulling at the hair of my neck. Down my back. Between my thighs…  _

And then I hear the kitchen door open, and I hear soft boots downstairs. I hear a warm voice and laugh…

And then I'm fine again. I'm somehow able to pull myself out. Crawl into my skin and carry about. 

I’m exhausted. 

The snow outside doesn't help any. The thick layer of white making the bars of my cage seem even more inescapable. I wake up having to immediately transfer my thoughts to a different reality. To a time and a place where I was level headed and calm always. Where I could handle any situation that was thrown at me with grace and style.

I think about my routines. How at this time of year, I would be preparing for some sort of tropical vacation. Most of my family members were dead, or I wanted nothing to do with them. Instead of spending winter hibernating in my home, I would buy a ticket to a beach and drink gin and tonics until my cheeks turned red. I would lay on the beach letting the sun kiss my shoulders and hike hours just to watch the sunset alone. 

God, I could use a drink. 

I shake my head and go downstairs. I hear the kitchen door open and close again. Leon is done and is headed out to start his chores. Abby is cleaning up breakfast alone. Excella is nowhere to be found. 

When they returned from the hospital, Wesker explained that the doctor suspected she had gotten the flu. Bed rest and no contact were what the doctor prescribed. I know better. I know why she's sick. I try not to think about what Wesker had done to her to make her so ill that she had to stay in bed. 

_ You know what he did. You saw her eyes… _

I shake my head. Force the thought out. 

Abby smiles at me and goes into the washroom to start the laundry. I hear a knocking noise outside and follow it. I know who the noise is being created by and it draws me out like a magnet, despite my distaste for the cold weather. 

I pull my cloak on tightly and step outside. The cold air hits me like a rock almost taking my breath with it. Snow covers the ground outside. In the distance, Leon is using a shovel to try and clear the frozen sludge from one of the gutters. His eye catches me and he gives me a goofy grin before the snow from the roof gets unstuck, and drops a large clump of greasy snow on top of him. 

I laugh as he slaps the snow away. 

“You come out here to make fun of me?” he asks. His eyebrows furrowed, but a smirk is present. 

“Gotta find some way to pass the time,” I reply. 

He nudges me with his arm. I rub my hands together and blow some air into them, in an attempt to warm them up. 

“Hows that cloak working to keep you warm?” he asks me. I shrug. It’s alright, but I would kill for some gloves.

“It's alright. I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to cold weather though,” I admit to him. It's weird to say something like that to him. It teeters on the edge of being something dangerously personal. 

He reaches into his jacket pocket and hands me something. I take it, immediately feeling heat. 

“What is this?” I ask, holding the plastic packets in my hands.

“They are called hot hands. You put them in your pocket and it helps keep them warm. We used to use them when we went skiing when I was a boy,” he says, “Abby managed to trade for a back of them.”

“Thank you,” I put them into my pocket, my hands already defrosting. 

I stand in front of Leon in silence. I kick at the snow with my boot as he carries on hitting the frozen water. This time careful not to be in the way of any falling debris. 

I don't really know what to say, but I don’t want to leave his company. Luckily Leon is never at a loss for conversation. 

“Maybe one day I can take you to the beach,” he says as he starts to shovel the dirty snow away from the house.

“What?'' I ask. It’s such a random statement. I look at him to see if he's being serious. He leans against his shovel and his expression tells me he's being dead serious. 

“Margaritas?” I reply. He breaks out into a grin when I take the bait. He's invited me to pretend for a moment that maybe we aren't in a prison. 

“Of course. We could stay in a cabana right on the water. Wake up every morning to fresh fruit and mimosas,” he says. I laugh in response. 

“Don’t tell me that you were an alcoholic before all of this,” I say, raising an eyebrow. 

“No, I just could really use a drink right about now,” he says with a shrug. I nod in agreement. 

“You would look really good on a beech. I think the sunlight suits you,” he says.

“Leon, are you trying to be sweet to me right now?” I quip back. I lay the sarcasm on real thick.

“Maybe. Would it be bad if I was?”

“No,”I say. 

The back door opens and I flinch. 

“Hey Abby,” Leon says almost too quickly. 

I turn around and see Abby waving her arms about, gesturing for Leon to come inside. 

“Duty call,” he says. The door opens as Abby goes back inside. Leon goes to follow her, “I'll see you tonight?” he asks before walking away.

“Yeah,” I say. My heart is racing. The door opening gave me a scare. I feel myself slipping. Falling again. 

Leon walks by me, but stops whenever he is shoulder to shoulder with me. He reaches out and gives my hand a quick squeeze. I can feel myself coming back. 

“I’ll be thinking about you on a beach all day,” he lets go of my hand and goes inside.

God I could use a drink.

\--------------------

It’s my day to go to the grocery store. Ms. Saddler is waiting at the end of the driveway. Her belly has gotten bigger since the last time I saw her. 

“Good afternoon!” she chirps. Her cheeks are red. Her breath comes out in white puffs. Just walking out here has caused her to lose her breath. The joys of being pregnant. 

I shove my hands into my pockets and grip the hot hands Leon had given to me.

“Hello,” I say once I join her on the sidewalk. We make our way into the shopping center. I avoid the bodies hanging on the wall. Three today. 

Inside the grocery store I go about checking the narrow selection of food. I pick up a can of beets and read the label when someone is suddenly beside me. 

“Long time no see,” they say. 

I know instantly it’s claire. It takes everything in me not to jump with joy.

“How are you?” I whisper. 

“Tired. Constantly, but i'm better. I got out of the hospital last week. Finally got the vomiting under control,” she says. 

“Leon told me you were pregnant… how are you…'' I want to ask her how she's handling it. 

“I’m fine. Physically… babies ok,” she mutters. She doesn't sound like a woman who's excited about having a baby. I can’t blame her. 

“Look, Claire. I gotta tell you something. I think I might have a way out, but it's risky,” I look over my shoulder just to double check that we aren't being watched, “the virus I'm injected with, they can inject me if I get pregnant,” I start to explain. 

She looks at me, her eyebrows furrowed. 

“What are you talking about? getting pregnant in order to escape? Do you think this is a fucking game?” she gestures to her stomach. I hadn't noticed, but there is a small bump that's barely noticeable.

“No, but so far it's the best chance I have of getting out of here,”I respond. 

“It's not worth it Ada. You have no idea what they are doing. It's more than just some old guys who want multiple wives. The babies that are being born are going straight into the labs. Something about a superior strain of a virus. It's terrible Ada…” she trails off. 

“Claire what are you talking about?” 

“Why don't you ask your new friend. He knows way more than he’s letting on.” she says with a scoff.

“Who? Leon?” she nods. I think back to that day that he met with her in the hospital. What else had they talked about?

“Claire…” I start, but then someone is yelling at us. 

“Hey! No talking!” Claire's eyes dart down the aisle. 

“I’ll see you around,” she says before turning around and walking away. 

I feel frustrated. Every time I manage to speak to Claire, I'm left with more questions than answers. She sounds so different from the woman I talked to in the bathroom only a few months ago. Then she was so determined to escape by any means necessary and now she sounds scared and cautions. I can't help but feel that being pregnant has something to do with it. 

And what about what she said about Leon. I've never thought that he knew anymore than what he needed to know, but Claire insinuated that he knew more. 

What are they doing to those kids in the labs?

What does Leon know?

\-------------------

After dinner I go up to my room. Despite my meeting with Claire today, my mind is still made up. I try not to think of her warning about what they are doing with the kids. As far as I'm concerned it is just another piece of the puzzle. Something that is inevitable. 

I've always been someone who has a plan. For the past months I have not had one, but now I do. I have to focus on it. If I don’t I will die. I'm sure of it. 

So I wait until it is quiet downstairs to make my way out. I'm almost out of the kitchen, before I hear a noise behind me. I freeze. 

“Good. I thought for a moment that maybe our deal was off,” Excella’s voice cuts through the darkness. 

“I… I was just..” I stutter. 

“Don't bother. As long as you hold up your end of the deal I'll hold up mine,” she says. 

“I will,” I respond. My voice sounds steady despite how much my heart is racing. 

“Good,” she stands from her position at the bar, “it's a dangerous game we are playing here. But if you give me a child I promise no one will know that you cheated,” she says. I catch a glimpse of her in the moonlight. Her face is more pale than usual. Thick black tendrils run from the side of her face down into where her chest meets her robe. Her back is hunched over and she moves slowly, as if each movement is painful. 

I open the door and disappear into the night quickly. 

Our deal is still on. This game I've been forced to play is still on. The only way for me to win is to lie and cheat. I'm more than willing to do it if it means I can walk away free. 

I don't have to knock on the door. Leon has gotten into the habit of leaving it unlocked for me. He is sitting at his table, book in hand.

“I was just thinking about you,” he says. 

“Yeah?” I say as I close the door behind me. The door clicks loudly when I lock it. 

“Yeah,” he closes the book and leans back in his seat, “Are you more of a sunbathing on the beach type girl or are you more adventurous?” he says. I'm confused for a second, but then I remember our conversation from earlier. I don't doubt that he was true to his word and thought about that all day. 

“Adventurous,” I say. I walk up to him. He looks at me. Clueless as ever. 

“That’s what I thought…” he starts, but I cut him off by leaning down and crushing my lips against his. He freezes at first, but then seems to melt into me. 

We kiss for a moment before I pull away and look at him. I put on a show and bite my bottom lip ever so slightly. 

“I’m ready,” I say to him.

“Ada,” he says. He puts his hand on my cheek.

“Leon, I need you,” I say. It’s what he needs to hear. He’ll do anything to help me. I feel bad using his own kindness against him. But it's not about him. It's about me. “Please Leon,” I whisper in a low voice. Almost a purr.

He hesitates only a moment longer. But then he's pulling me onto his lap. 

Game on. 


	17. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey how yall doing? sorry I havent updated in a minute. Things got crazy! I won't waste your time with excuses, but I'm happy to get to upload again! There is about a three month time jump between this chapter and the last. Enjoy!

_ I feel the danger before I see it. I can feel the buzz of the people around me. And then I hear yelling.  _

_ “What do you think is happening over there?” Ms. Saddler asks. She places one hand on her growing belly. Her baby is due in only a few short weeks.  _

_ “I'm not sure,” I say. My voice sounds strange. Everything is strange. _

_ The yelling continues. We walk towards the town square where a crowd of people have surrounded the steps of city hall. The place where bodies are typically brought to hang.  _

_ “This traitor stands before you because he has betrayed Umbrella,” a voice calls out to the crowd, “Countless lives lost because of him and his work with the resistance. For this crime he will be sentenced to death,” the crowd erupts into cheers.  _

_ “Ada, we should go,” Ms. Saddler says. For a second iIm confused as to why she used my real name. But that thought leaves my mind when I look at the stage and there, being escorted to the post is a familiar face.  _

_ Leon’s arms are tied behind his back. His face has been beat, making his handsome features contort into impossible shapes. One of his eyes is swollen shut. His other eye is a stark contrast of blue against red.  _

_ I run to the stage trying to push past as many people as possible, but it's almost like the harder I run the further away I get. There's a buzzing in my head.  _

_ Leon searches the crown until his good eye lands on me. _

_ “LEON!” I scream as they place the rope around his neck. _

_ He opens his mouth, but before he can say anything the platform drops and he falls.  _

_ I scream.  _

\--------------------

I jolt upright in bed. I'm breathing hard. My body is covered in sweat. 

My sudden movement wakes Leon up. His eyes are squinted, but he's instantly searching for me. 

“Hey , hey it’s ok,” he says wrapping an arm around me, “it was just a nightmare,” he rubs my back in an attempt to calm me down. 

“Yeah,” I say between breaths “a nightmare.”

He leans his head against my shoulder and continues to rub at my back. The image from my dream keeps replaying in my mind, but eventually I'm able to keep it at bay. The house is quiet. There are a few dying embers in the fireplace so Leon gets up to poke at it. I watch him. 

Winter is in full swing. I cant remember how many weeks or months have past since the snow started. Three maybe? Its been a long time. My plans for escape have dwindled, but i keep returning to Leon's house because it is my last hope. The only thing that offers the possibility of leaving my prison.

He really is a good person. Annoyingly so. I am reminded of just how much danger I'm in with this. My relationship with him. As much as I have tried to brush it off as him being an essential part of my escape, my reliance on him has taken a turn. I don't see him as a pawn. The nightmare was terrifying. The thought of him dying…

“I hate cold weather,” he grumbles as he gets back into the bed. He presses his cold toes against my own making me jump a little. I feel his smile as he presses his face into the crook of my neck. 

I nuzzle into his chest and he wraps his arms around me. I rest my forehead against his chest and take a deep breath inhaling his scent. 

“You wanna talk about your dream?” he asks quietly. His calloused fingers delicately rub against the skin on my back. He’s asked questions like this before. He knows I typically don’t respond, or that I’ll change the subject. 

But tonight I don’t. 

“I had a dream you were hanging,'' I start, “In town. I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure it’s because of me. Something that I did that caused them to want to kill you I saw you... “ I stop myself. I'm in danger of crying. 

He doesn't say anything in response. He just pulls me closer and we lay in silence. 

I think for a moment that maybe we are going to fall back asleep. That he will pretend he didn't hear me, and let me keep any amount of dignity i had left. 

“I have similar dreams about you,” he says finally. 

“You do?” I ask. I can feel him take a deep breath.

“I won't let anything happen to me if you promise not to let anything happen to you,” he bargains. It's barely a whisper. I think about it for a moment. The idea of him having similar nightmares about me. He worries about me. Even though I act like a pissed off cat most of the time, he still worries. 

I want to respond, but sleep takes over. 

\-------------------

“You know it's just amazing to feel him, kicking, he's so strong,” Ms. Saddler has been talking about the miracle of babies since she met me outside the mansion. The path to the grocery store is long and quiet, but her voice has not let up. She doesn't need much from me to get her to carry on a conversation. 

“I can't believe I'll be able to see him in less than a month!” she continues. 

“How many more weeks do you have?” I ask. I don't really know much about babies. Judging by the way she is waddling I would assume she was about to give birth right here on the concrete path. 

“Three weeks, but the doctor thinks it could be sooner! He is so big. Healthy and cute as can be. And so strong,” she makes sure to add that last part. 

“Any name ideas?” I ask. 

She's quiet for a second. I wonder if maybe I wasn't allowed to ask that question. I didn't really think about it. It's just what is asked when people are pregnant. 

“I won’t be naming him. That privilege is for the Saddlers,” she says. Her usually chipper voice seems sad. 

“Well,” I lower my voice so our guard won't hear me, “if you could name it what would you name it?” I say. Ms. Saddler seemed shocked at first when I asked that. But she looks around cautiously. 

“I used to have a little brother, he died years ago, but I would want to name him Noah. After my brother,” she says quietly so the guard doesn't hear. She bows her head down like she's almost ashamed at even the thought of coming up with a name for her baby. 

“I love that name,” I say, trying to comfort her. Which is strange for me to try and comfort anyone, but things are different now. I'm different. 

We continue our walk into town. I ignore the city center. My nightmare is still fresh in my mind. 

The people screaming. Leon with a rope around his neck…

“You know I think about you all the time,” Ms. Saddler says breaking me out of my thoughts. 

“Why?” I ask her.

“You always seem so sad. I just know that if you were to be blessed with a baby it would perk up your spirits,” her voice is sincere. Not an ounce of sarcasm can be traced. I try to hide the disgust on my face.

“I guess I'm just not lucky,” I reply. 

She can't be older than 20. It blows my mind how easy it has been for Umbrella to brainwash her. She has thoroughly convinced herself that being here is a good thing. That she has been saved. That the baby inside of her is a stroke of good fortune and luck. That she hasn't been assaulted, and kept like an animal. 

I want to shake her and yell at her, but her hand goes to her belly and she smiles. She seems genuinely happy. Who am I to try and ruin that for her? We get to the grocery store. I don't find Claire, which isn't a surprise. The last time I saw her was a month ago. Her belly was growing and she barely wanted to talk to me. 

She hadn't seemed excited about being pregnant the way Ms. Saddler was. Claire seemed to be shutting down. She didn't talk to me about escaping or anything like that. She just shrugged at what I said and told me to be careful. Oliviera told me in passing that Mr. Saddler was keeping her inside more these days because she was having a rough pregnancy. I can't help but feel like it's a lie. But Oliviera hasn't seen her and there's no way for me to just go and pop in to say hi. The only thing I can do is wait. 

We finish buying our canned foods and leave the grocery store. It's a pretty quiet day and there are a few other women with their guards walking around. It's pretty cold, and even though the hot hands that Leon gave me have long since stopped working, I grip them in my pocket. 

However on our way home I can't shake the feeling of being watched. I look over my shoulder several times to only see our guard who trails us every time we are on the trail. 

But those aren't the eyes I'm aware of. Even further down the path I notice a man. He seems familiar. But he's too far away for me to see his features. It’s not strange to see men out and about, but they are usually tailing a pair of women keeping guard. This man doesn't look like a guard and he doesn't wear an officer uniform. I try to remain calm. 

Ms. Saddler goes on about how she's been craving nothing but sweet potatoes, but my mind can't focus on her. I'm focused on the man on the trail. 

I try to calm my mind by focusing on Ms. Saddler, but I'm on edge. My instincts tell me that the man is following us. 

The further down the path we get, the more my anxiety grows. The Wesker mansion and the Saddler mansion are the furthest ones down the path. Past a certain point there's no reason for anyone to travel down this path unless they live there. 

I look behind me and the man is still there. The guard notices me looking over my shoulder and turns around to see what I'm looking at.

“Hey you lost buddy?” our guard yells. 

The man on the path stops for a moment. He reaches for something in his pocket and that causes our guard to raise his gun. 

“Freeze,” the guard yells. 

But the man on the path doesn't listen. My brain barely registers what happens next. My body starts moving before I can think. I’m grabbing Ms. Saddler and pulling her off the path and behind a tree. There's gunfire, followed by an explosion. I close my eyes just as the force pushes me off my feet. My head slams onto the ground. My head explodes into burning pain, but it's contrasted by the coldness of the snow on the ground. 

Silence. 

I black out. 

But then there's a ringing in my ear. I open my eyes, but everything around me is blurry. Pain shoots behind my eyes. I see a flash of red. I’m bleeding.

My cap is blown off and I register the feeling of my own hair brushing against my skin. It feels wet and cold and I don't know if it's the snow melting or the blood that's dripping. 

I'm not sure how long I was out for, but there are people at the scene. I can hear their muffled voices. They sound distorted and far off. Someones crying. Me? 

“Ada,” Leon’s voice finds me. It cuts through the chaos like a lighthouse and I try to focus on it. 

His hand is on me. It rolls me over and his hand finds the wound on my head. Even with his gentle touch my heart burst with pain. 

“Can I get a medic!” he yells. The loudness of his voice makes me wince even more. 

“Can she stand?” someone else asks. 

“Yes I can stand,” I say. At least that's what I try to say. I'm not quite sure the words actually came out. 

There are hands on me. They pull me up but once I have weight on my legs I get even more pain. This time not from my head but from my leg. I stagger, but there are strong arms that whisk me up. 

“Bring her this way Mr. Kennedy,” someone says. 

Leon carries me and I hear crying. I remember suddenly that I was not alone. 

“Ms. Saddler,” I manage to get out. 

“She’s ok,” he says. He places me down in a sitting position. Open my eyes as best I can and try to look around. I am shocked by what I see. The cement path we had been walking down is charred. There are chunks of concrete all around us. I look for the guard that has been with us, but I know that it's pointless. The place he had been standing has been turned into a crater. 

“Mr. Kennedy we will have to take her to the hospital, for a full evaluation. Will you tell Mr. Wesker when he returns?” 

Leon doesn't say anything. I've closed my eyes again but I know the look on his face. Anger with a hint of worry. His perfect features pinching. His eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenched. No doubt he is worried leaving me alone. 

“I should probably go with her,” he starts.

“That won't be necessary.”

Leon's warm hand is replaced by the rough fabric of someone's glove. Before Leon has a chance to protest I hear a door close, and I open my eyes just in time to see Leon's anger turn into genuine concern. I try to keep my eyes open, but I suddenly feel a pinch in my arm. I look over to see a guard with a syringe pressed into my arm. I fade out of consciousness. 

\-------------------

When I wake up I know I'm in the hospital. I hear the steady beeping of the monitor I'm hooked up to. 

My body aches, but my headache from earlier has subsided. I try to feel where I had been bleeding from, but it’s covered by a thick bandage. 

Suddenly the events of the day come rushing back to me. 

The man on the trail. He reached for something and then…

I jolt up. 

Ms. Saddler. Was she ok? I remember hearing her scream but what abut after that? Where was she?

The monitor I'm hooked up to start to go crazy. It must be something bad because all of the sudden there’s a flurry of nurses rushing in. One of them pulls out a syringe and presses it into my arm. My eyes become heavy.

I hear them talking for a few moments before drifting off again. Something about a heartbeat, but I don't hear anything else. 


	18. Heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! I've had some trouble writing this chapter just because its so important and I wanted to do it right! I hope you guys enjoy! Sorry (again) for the late update! THank you so much to those that have been commenting! You guys are literally the best and when I feel like maybe I shouldnt keep updating you guys really keep me going! Yall are awesome!

My nightmares are usually the same. I'm running, but not moving. I pump my arms and legs harder to reach my destination, but for some reason I'm staying in the same spot. Like there's an invisible rope tied around my waist keeping me from moving forward. 

I can hear their voices. 

Each one calls out for me to help them, but I can’t get to them. 

Sherry, Marvin, Ada.

Each one needs me, but I can't get to them. 

And then I wake up. Sometimes I wake up alone in my small cold bed. The only sound is the wind smacking against the walls. 

Other nights I wake up and I'm being held. Adas arms wrapped around my middle or draped across my chest. 

Waking up like that usually helps me forget the nightmares. Or at least it eases the anxiety of not knowing whether it was reality or not. Either way, I know that the danger is over and I don't have to run. 

Today though, I can't wake up from the nightmare. 

It started with the explosion. I knew it involved her as soon as I heard it. I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the fact that I should probably secure the house. 

When I got there I thought I was too late. The red on the ground made my chest hurt. 

But then I heard others yelling. I saw Ada in the snow and helped her get up and waited with her while other people checked her wounds. She seemed dazed and confused, probably a concussion, but her hair was wet and sticky from the blood that was gushing out of her wound. 

They wouldn't let me go with her. I figured they wouldn't because my job would require me to make sure Excella was safe, and that Wesker was informed. So I had to go back to the mansion with a sinking feeling in my stomach. 

Wesker gets home quickly. He is accompanied by several guards.

“We are going to be going back into hiding. There's no confirmation, but they think that the target was either our house, or the Saddlers.” he says. Not a single mention about Ada. He couldn't care less. I clench my fist. 

“What about Ms. Saddler? I understand that she was involved,” Oliviera asks. I silently thank him for saying anything. I'm sure that if I were to say anything right now it would come out as a yell. 

“She’s in the hospital. Right Kennedy?” Wesker asks. 

“Yes,” I say trying to keep an even tone, “she looked pretty banged up.”

“Well until we get more information on the motive of the attack I think it might be best for us all to lay low,” Wesker says. Excella nods. She's been a nervous wreck ever since I got back. 

“Kennedy, go to the hospital. Oliviera is going to take us to the safe house, when Ms. Wesker is let out; he will pick you up and bring you to the safe house as well.”

I'm surprised at first, but then I nod my head. I don't want to let them know how concerned i am. 

If this was a different word I would never have left her side. I would have been with her. So hearing Wesker give me permission to do that is a stroke of luck that I didn't think I would have. 

I wait until the Weskers are packed and ready to go. As I drive to the hospital I think about who could have possibly been out to hurt the Weskers. It doesn't make sense to me that they would attack Ada and the other woman if the target had been Wesker himself. 

_ But what did Ada do to make someone want to hurt her?  _

There is a lot that I don't know about. But if Ada had been into something nefarious she would have told me right? 

_ Stop thinking about that. Ada is a victim just as much as you are. She trusts you and you trust her. _ I tell myself. 

But something deep in my bones tells me that I might know less than I originally thought. 

\---------------------

When I get to the hospital, the nurses already knew why I am there. 

“Mr. Kennedy, Dr. Birkin needs to speak with you,” the nurse at the front says. At this point everyone has heard about the attack. There are guards everywhere. Everyone is on high alert. 

I follow the nurse down a series of hallways until I see Dr. Birkin. She is standing outside a door talking to another doctor. She sees me and says something to the other doctors that make them leave. Im a little nervous about why there were so many doctors outside Ada’s room. 

I guess until this point I had assumed that Ada was fine, but the look on Birkins face tells me she’s about to tell me something very serious. I clench my jaw. I have not prepared for bad news. 

“Kennedy,” she says when I near her, “ I assume the Weskers sent you to check on her?”

“Yes,” I respond.  _ I want to see her please  _ is what I want to say, but don't.

“She sustained some injuries from the attack…” she starts to explain what happened. A concussion, a gash, possible hearing loss, are just a few words I hear. My brain is just searching for two words. Two words that tell me that she's going to be ok. 

“She’s fine, but we will have to continue to monitor her for at least 48 hours, or until the fetal heartbeat is more stable.” 

Fetal?

“The what?” I ask. Surely I heard it wrong. 

“Ms. Saddler is pregnant. It’s early on, which is why we might have missed it in her last checkup, but she is. Heartbeat is there, but because of the trauma she has experienced we would like to monitor her for a few days.”

I don't really know what to say. I'm at a loss for words. I feel the blood rush. My heart thumps against my chest and my palms begin to sweat. 

Pregnant.

“Can I see her?” I manage to get out. Birkin gives me a strange look. I clear my throat. 

_ Pull it together. She's in more danger than you thought. _ I remind myself.

“Erm, Mr. Wesker will want a full report as well as confirmation from me of her condition,” I say. It's not a lie. He will want all of that. I ignore the heat and anger that floods my bloodstream when I mention his name. The desire to find him and punch him. This monster has done exactly what he set out to do. Ada is going to be forced to carry his child to term and when she gives birth, assuming she survives, he will have no need for her anymore. 

“Of course. You can see her. She will be asleep. We had to sedate her to reduce the amount of stress on her and the baby,” she says. “I'll get a report ready for you.”

“Thank you Dr. Birkin,” i say. I want her to just leave so i can see Ada. 

“Thank you Mr. Kennedy,” she turns to leave but stops for a moment. She turns to look at me and smiles, “Congratulations.” she says with a sly smile before turning around again and walking away. 

I’m a little put off by that. Congratulations? 

I wait for her to round a corner to go inside. I keep my hand on the handle for a moment. 

My mind races a million different directions. I think about Sherry, about what they did to her when they discovered her genetic makeup. How her bloodline had endowed her with insane power. If what Wesker has been planning is true Adas fate is far worse than what I managed to save sherry from. 

Wesker promised Sherry would be safe, but only if I stayed in her stead. He said he needed my blood and my antibodies to help protect his family. That when his child came into the world he would need strong people by his side. 

Ada's baby will not grow up the way a baby should. It will spend every day in a lab getting tested on and used for an experiment. Poked and prodded the second it enters the world. Wesker wasn't looking for a child, he's looking for power. 

_ It might not be his…  _

And if that's the case, we are all dead. 

\--------------------

When I wake up, I'm not alone. I hear the monitors. I feel the needles in my arms. I open my eyes and see Leon sitting in a chair. His hands are crossed and his head is slumped. He’s sleeping. 

It takes me a few minutes for my head to stop spinning. I feel like I'm going to throw up. I reach up to my head and feel gauze. I wince as I push down and feel the throb of the wound that it is covering. 

Leon wakes up almost immediately to the sound of me wincing. He sees that I'm awake and goes to stand up. He looks worried. Like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. Poor guy. 

“Tell it to me straight doc. How long do I have,” i say jokingly. My voice is rough from sleep. It occurs to me that I have no idea how much time has passed. Hours? Days? Weeks?

“Ada…” he whispers. 

But before he can say anything else, the door opens and nurses come in. This time they are less frantic. They check my tubes and my monitors and my wounds. They write things on their charts. No one really talks to me so I just watch Leon. He stands in the corner, arms crossed and he chews at his lip. 

Then a nurse wheels in a bulky screen. I'm confused when one of them pulls the blanket down and then pulls me hospital gown to the side. I’m naked of course, which makes my pulse race.

“What are you doing” I say trying to swat at them. But they grab my arms and pull them down. I start to panic, but Leon looks at me and shakes his head. I search his eyes looking for answers. 

What is happening? 

I start to squirm. Painfully aware of the fact that I'm exposed in front of all of these people with no idea about what is happening. 

“Ms. Wesker you need to be still so we can listen for the heartbeat,” one of the nurses says. He is holding on of my arms down. 

Heartbeat? In my belly?

And then everything clicks. 

I feel like I have stepped out of my own body. Like I'm watching them happen. They squirt some blue jelly onto my stomach. Someone presses a piece of plastic to me and roughly move it around. The room is quiet except for the sound of my blood pounding.

And then…

_ Thumpthumpthumpthump.  _

Fast and even. A heartbeat. 

Everyone seems to let out a sigh at the same time. 

They talk about me like I'm not even there. 

“48 hours past the trauma. I think it’s safe to say that baby and mom are going to be fine.”

“Thank goodness would have been such a tragedy to lose a child of Mr. Wesker.”

“Wesker’s going to be happy to hear about this.”

They pack up their instruments and leave just as fast as they entered. My head is spinning and even though im laying down i feel like I’m going to pass out. 

“Leon,” I say. My voice shaky. 

He looks at me. He stays standing where he was. He doesn't look at me for a moment. Likes he's ashamed or guilty. 

“Leon, what is…” have so many thought racing through my brain, but I can't articulate any of them. 

Im very aware of my body now. I feel everything. The twitch in my toe. The pain in my head. The beat of my heart, and even though I dont think its possible i think i can feel teh baby inside me. Im sure that that is just a a trick of my brain. 

Im terrified, but try to keep calm. I think i read somewhere once that stress can hurt babies. But the idea of something growing inside me makes me want to run away. 

But underneath that fear, theres hope. 

I have a ticket out of here.

“Ada,” Leon says finally, breaking me out of my thoughts. I look at him and i’m surprised to see his eyes are rimmed with tears. “Im so sorry,” he says. His voice breaks a little bit as he tries to stifle his tears. 

Sorry?

“Its ok. This is good right?'' I say. “You heard the nurses it's good thing.”

"Im sorry because," he pauses, “Ada if its mine Wesker will know.” he says. 

"Theres no way for us to know," I start to try and protest. I know that it's Leon's. Unless Excella was lying to me, which I doubt she was, there is no way that the baby inside of me is Weskers. It can only be Leon's.

“But if it is Ada,” he says cutting me off. He comes closer to me his hands are clench by his side. I think he wants to reach out to me but hesitates. 

“Everything is going to be fine. You didn't do anything wrong,” I say to him, reaching my hand out and brushing it against his clenched fist. his hand relaxes and is hand melts into mine. 

He looks around. I thinks he is searching for cameras, but doesn't see any. 

“I'm going to get you out of here Ada, I have to. Before you give birth. You and the baby are not safe,” he says. 

I think about that for a moment. I think about what Claire said about her baby, and about Leon knowing more than he was letting on. it dawns on me that my plan was simple. get pregnant and then Excella helps me escape, but what exactly does having a baby in this world entail. i had not thought about the consequences for me, Leon, or the little flutter in my stomach. 

“What do you mean Leon?” I ask. 

He looks at me again, but this time the tears flow from his eyes. 


	19. Badass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! Sorry about the sporadic updates! I've said it before but I am pretty committed to finishing this story! I greatly appreciate those of you who have been commenting! You guys are literally so awesome!

Maybe it's the human growing inside me, or maybe it’s the growing anxiety, but sleep eludes me. 

Even the few hours of sleep I get are plagued with nightmares. Side effect of being pregnant? Side effect of being a prisoner? Who knows. 

The safe house is in the country. It’s huge, way bigger than the home in the city, and if you step outside there is flat land as far as the eye can see. The snow makes it seem like maybe, if you squint hard enough, you can see the curve of the earth. It's so quiet and peaceful in the mornings that I can almost admit that I love it out here. It's quiet enough so that if I turn my brain off for a second I can pretend I’m out here alone. 

Since sleep has been hard to come by, I spend my mornings on the front porch. It wraps around the whole house. I sit and take in the peacefulness of it all, wrapped in a blanket, my breath coming out in little white puffs, and watch the sunrise. 

_ Who would have thought that I could still find peace considering my reality.  _

But the peace doesn't linger, anxiety creeps in like the cold. My brain swirls with thoughts of what I have done and how I will get out of this situation. 

It's been two weeks since the grenade incident. Only a few more days before we are cleared to return home. Word on the street is they hung five other people in connection to the incident, but the motive is still unclear. Wesker and Excella have not let me out of their sight since Leon told them I was pregnant, and brought me out to the safe house. 

Excella checks on me more than usual, and she lingers around me like she's afraid I might run away, or break. She doesn't know that I know the truth. That she lied to me. That Leon let me know the fate that awaits me and the baby.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath at the memory.

\-------------------

_ “They will kill you Ada, if the baby is mine. Wesker will know, and he will kill both of us,” Leon had said matter of factly. He seems to be taking the news worse than me, which for some reason annoys me.  _

_ “And what if it isn't yours?” I asked. Even though I know that there's no chance of it not being his. A part of me wants to confess my plan. Let him know about the deal that I've made with Excella, but I can't help but feel like that will only complicate things even more.  _

_ “If it's his you will never see that baby again. You will give birth and have it ripped from your arms before you even get to look at it,” he states. _

_ I don't say anything. I can't let him know that that is essentially what I had agreed to with Excella. It only occurs to me now how much of a monster that makes me. He looks at me and I have to look away. Afraid that he will see through me. He will see me for what I really am.  _

_ “If it's my… our, baby, Ada, I can't live with myself knowing that I didn't do everything in my power to protect you both,” he confesses. He grabs the chair that he had been sitting on earlier and pulls it up beside my bed. He sits down and reaches across to take my hand. I let him, the warmth from his palm pulling me back. Making me focus on anything but the rising emotions in my body.  _

_ My understanding of just how caring Leon has been greatly underestimated. I think about how, under regular circumstances, if this was a normal world, Leon would probably be a great dad. It almost makes me guilty that he might never get the chance to be one… almost.  _

Save yourself Ada. You can't afford to think about anyone other than yourself. So what if he thinks you're a monster? You have never been bothered by that before...

_ But there's something about the thought that doesn't sit well with me. It's something I've said all my life, but maybe I've gone soft because it's beginning to be more and more difficult to say those words and believe them.  _

_ “It will be born into a powerful family. He will be taken care of. Excella seems to be…” I start to say, trying to maybe convince him that having the baby taken from me wouldn't be the worst thing. _

_ “That arena that Wesker took you to, those people were fighting someone's child Ada, don't you get it? The baby is going to be turned into a monster. Wesker wants a baby so bad because he hopes to use its power and turn it into an unstoppable force,” he continued. “That's why he can't just adopt a baby. He doesn't want to be a dad, he wants to destroy anyone who defies him.” _

_ “But if he gets what he wants maybe it will give me a chance to leave. Escape,” I counter.  _

_ “If you give birth to his child he will kill you,” he says. I look to see if maybe he's exaggerating, but his face is serious, his blue eyes clouded with anger and sadness, “He can't let there be someone else that shares the same genes as the baby. The baby would be controlled not only by him, but by you as well,” he says. The words are hard to get out for him. His eyebrows are furrowed and I can see the pain in his eyes.  _

_ “So he's just going to kill me once I give birth to make sure that it only answers to him?” I say. I'm skeptical about the whole thing, but the more I think about it, the more it starts to make sense. I would be a threat to Wesker and his complete control over the monster he creates.  _

_ “Yes,” he says, drawing me from my thoughts, “He wants a child so that he can inject it with the virus and then have complete control over it. That's how it works. The infected are drawn to the main host. It's how Wesker is able to control you and I, but if he has a child with his own blood, their control would be even more powerful. He could raise it to be anything he wanted. Turn it into anything he wanted.” _

_ “How can he be so sure that it will work?” I ask.  _

_ “He has seen it work. He saw the Birkins almost accomplish it with their daughter Sherry, but when Annette couldn't go through with fully injecting her with the virus…” _

_ “Sherry?”  _

_ “She escaped from Raccoon City with me. Her parents are the Birkins and she,” he hesitates, “she was supposed to go back to them. If they had known that she survived, William would have taken her back, and he would have been able to create the most powerful monster, but Wesker found her first. He made a deal with me. He said that if I agreed to stay and work for him that he would not let the Birkins know that she escaped. He would smuggle her out of the country and she would be safe from becoming an experiment,” Leon says. He looks like he just removed a huge weight from his shoulders.  _

_ So that's how He got mixed in with all of this. He sacrificed his own freedom to protect a little girl he barely knew.  _

_ We are quiet for a while. Leon runs his hand through his hair and chews at his bottom lip. He’s anxious. I can see the struggle going through his brain. He gives my hand a squeeze and looks at me. _

_ “We don't have to worry about this right now Leon. I'm tired,” I say. It's not a lie. My brain still feels like it is pounding. I can only assume that they have had me sedated, which has left my body feeling warm and heavy. The information from Leon has only made it more difficult to feel comfortable.  _

_ “I’m going to find a way to get you out, Ada,” he says, squeezing my hand, “and if it’s my baby then it’s not safe either, and I will do what it takes to protect…” _

_ “Stop it Leon. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself…” I say, pulling my hand away. Maybe a little too aggressively.  _

_ “You don't know what he is capable of,” he begins to raise his voice slightly. Like I’m an idiot who's unaware of the danger that I'm in. His words make me angry. Despite him trying to do right, how can he say that to me? _

_ “You don't think I know what he's capable of?” I ask. I try to keep an even tone, but my anger is bubbling, “I think I know better than anyone. Don't sit here and make this about you Leon because it's not. This is something that I am going through. How dare you say that I don't know what he’s capable of. I'm in this whole mess because I have witnessed exactly how evil he is,” I say. Leon’s shoulders slump. He wants to say something. Clear what he meant to say, but I don't give him the chance.  _

_ “Furthermore, don't try to act all noble all of the sudden. You knew what you were bringing me into the moment you picked me up from the labs. You knew the risk, but suddenly you can’t let me go through it? All because you think you're the dad? Get off your high horse,” hurt flashes across his handsome face, but I continue my rampage, “If you really wanted to protect me you would have never allowed me to step into that house. You would have done more. But you didn't. And this is the reality that I have to live in.” _

_ The room was quiet, making me realize that I had raised my voice probably more than was necessary. Leon knew he had said the wrong thing. I almost feel bad about snapping at him. It’s kind of unfair for me to snap at him when I know for a fact that I have used him for my own personal gain, but the assumption that I don't know what he is capable of has opened a wound that I was not ready to have opened. I’m angry. _

_ “I wasn't trying to…” he starts to say, but I don't want to hear from him anymore, and since i'm in no position to get up and leave, I interrupt him. _

_ “Please leave,” I say. I look away from him, but can feel his sad eyes, the eyes that have looked at me with so much love and adoration and protectiveness, searching me. Waiting for me to take it back.  _

_ He pauses. It’s like kicking a puppy. He gives me a moment, expecting me to say that I didn't mean it, but when he doesn't get that his shoulders slump and it's his turn to look away.  _

_ He doesn't say another word before turning around and leaving the room.  _

\------------------

I take a deep breath at the memory. I haven't talked to him, aside from some pleasantries, since we came to the safe house. 

Wesker and Excella were happy to see me. Well, Excella was, Wesker gave me a creepy hug that lingered a little longer than I would have liked. 

I wanted to talk to Leon, but was not ready for the apology that I owed him. Mainly because I still felt like I was also owed an apology. But I would be lying if I told myself I missed him.I missed his company and his warmth. I missed listening to him babble on about wrenches and his old life. 

_ God you have gotten soft.  _ I say to myself.

I hear rustling inside. Someones awake, meaning that it’s only a matter of time before everyone is up. 

It's cold outside, but I don't want to go inside yet. I need this extra time in the morning to sort out my thoughts. Come up with a plan. 

Ideally I would talk to Excella. I need to see what her plan is. Leon's warning floats in my mind and depending on what Excella says, I might be having to find a way out here on my own. 

_ “If you give birth to his child he will kill you”  _ Leon had said. 

That throws a wrench in the system. It seems wherever I turn there is someone trying to kill me. Wesker, the man with the grenade…

Not everyone…

Leon’s promise to protect me has been floating in my mind for days. But how can he make that promise? How could he possibly get me out of here? Something seems off. Maybe it's my line of work, but i find it hard to fully trust him. 

_ It’s just me...and you. _ I think to myself. 

The last part popped in my brain without me even really meaning it to. 

I never considered having children. My line of work didn't really include being able to come home every night and help with homework.

But the idea of my baby being raised in a lab and turned into a monster…

I shiver. From the cold, but also from the thought. 

Someone steps out onto the porch. I turn my head expecting to see Excella, but am surprised to see Leon. 

He looks equally as surprised when he sees me sitting out on the porch. 

“Oh…” he says. He hesitates a second, waiting for me to tell him to leave. We haven't really talked since that day in the hospital. 

“Hey,” I say. An olive branch.

“Morning,” he says, “you're not cold out here?” 

“I am, but I like the fresh air, and the silence,” I say. 

“Hold on,” he says, turning on his heel. I hear some things being moved, and then the door opens and Leon steps out again, but this time he is carrying the little space heater from the living room. The cord dangles behind him. 

“You don't have to do all that…” I say with a smile. Always going above and beyond for others.

He plugs it in and directs the warm air towards my toes, I feel the heat spread through my body. Even when he's not touching me, he still manages to ignite me. 

He sits on the chair beside me and tucks his hands into his thin hoodie. We sit in silence for a few moments.

“When my mom was pregnant with my little sister, she used to get cold constantly. Something about her having low blood pressure, but she used to put her cold toes on my lap to warm them up,” he says. He has a smile on his face as he looks off into the distance, clearly remembering the memory fondly. 

“I didn't know you have a sister,” I say. 

“Yeah, her name was Lena” he replies.

“Was?”

“Yeah she passed away really young… her and my mom were in an accident,” he trails off. 

“I’m sorry,'' I say, trying to hide my embarrassment. I shouldn't have asked, but he almost seemed like he wanted me to know this about him. Like he wants to reiterate that he's not a mean person. That he cares, and only wants what's best for me. 

We are quiet again. I think about a younger Leon. Blond hair, baby blue eyes trying to help his mom warm up her toes. Seeing his sister for the first time. Probably loving her and being fiercely protective. 

_ Just like how he wants to protect you and his child… _

I have to stop myself from thinking about that. It will only make things more complicated. 

Leon doesn't know that it's his baby. To him there is only a 50 percent chance that it is his. I have to keep it that way for as long as I can. If he knew that I had done this intentionally, that I used him like a pawn, he might change his mind about me. 

“About the other day Ada,” he says, breaking the silence, “I'm sorry.”

I look at him. 

“But, I meant what I said ok? When we leave the safe house I'm going to try to find a way to get you out of here. I know you don't need me to try and protect you, but I can still help ok? If we are going to get out of here I think we have a much better chance if we work together. There are rumors ok and I can start asking around.” his voice is low, but sure. He means what he’s saying. 

“Thank you,” I replied, “I'm sorry I snapped. I didn't mean what I said about you being the reason…”

The porch door opens and Excella steps out. Her robe wrapped around her and she searches frantically around. She sees me and gasps.

“Come inside! You can't be outside in your condition. It is far too cold,” she gestures for me to get up. I want to roll my eyes, but she nudges Leon to help me up. As if I were 39 weeks pregnant and couldn't get up on my own.

Leon obliges nonetheless, He offers me a hand and looks me in the eyes. I take it and the space heater is no longer necessary. His hand is warm and it burns like a beacon. 

He gives my hand a squeeze. He means to say ‘We are in this together. You're not alone.’

“Thank you sir,” I say as I walk by him. 

Excella rushes me inside before he can say anything. 

“You have to take care of yourself. My baby is precious cargo.

Her baby?

My baby is tougher than that Excella. My baby is a badass. 


	20. Spring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Wow! I feel like this next chapter was so easy to write. I mapped out the rest of this story and let me just tell you guys I'm so freaking excited to write it! I hope you guys enjoy it. I've been nervous about writing about Ada getting pregnant because I know its kind of weird. I feel like maybe its a weird place to go to in the story haha.   
> Anyways, thank you to those who leave kudos and comments. It rally makes my day and pushes me to keep writing. I know im not the best at replying to comments, but sometimes I get busy and don't get around to it! As always you guys are awesome! Happy Reading!

Spring comes softly. The snow melted. The sun peeks over the trees that surround my prison. My belly grows.

The weather has warmed up, but I keep the plastic package of the hot hands that Leon gave me in my pocket. Something to ground me on harder days. 

With the warmer weather came a resurgence of my drive to escape. The sun in my window every morning reminds me of what I'm trying to do. I spend my mornings repeating a new mantra. 

_ You are Ada Wong. You were captured, raped, and now you're pregnant. Leon is the father, but you can't let him know. You are going to escape, and the baby is going to be with you.  _

I repeat those words enough for me to start believing them. Enough for them to bring me some sort of comfort, and then I get up and get ready for the day. My morning sickness is less aggressive. Before I wouldn't have been able to sit in bed for more than a few seconds before I felt the urge to vomit, but now I am able to get ready without hurling. So long as I get something in my belly within fifteen minutes I should be fine. 

According to my last appointment I’m 17 weeks along going on 18. The baby is the size of a sweet potato which creates a flurry of emotions inside me. Happy and sad.

A sweet potato? When was the last time I ate a sweet potato? Will my baby ever eat one? His fat cheeks covered in orange mush. His bright eyes filled with giggles, and me wiping his face clean. Picking him up and holding him close to my chest…

_ Stop…  _ I say, forcing myself out of the daydream. I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet, but my brain has subconsciously been referring to him as him and it's impossible to fight it, so I just let it be.

I have to focus on what I can control. Thinking of what could be will only take me back to that cold winter state of mind that I have managed to pull myself out of.

_ You didn't pull yourself out alone… _

I double check that the plastic package is in my pocket. It no longer gets warm when you hold it, but it reminds me that I’m not working alone. That someone is looking out for me. Even if they are only doing so because I have manipulated them into thinking they have feelings for me. 

I press my belly gently. It's barely visible, but when I turn to the side I can see the little bump. Little hope. 

There's a knock at my door which makes me jump. Abby was probably sent by Excella to make sure that I come down stairs because I have to eat my breakfast. 

“I'm coming,” I call through the door. It satisfies the person on the other side, and I hear footsteps go down the stairs. I stop and check out my window once more to see if Leon is out yet. I haven't been to his home since we returned from the safe house. 

His front door opens and I see him step out. His hair has gotten longer. A bit shaggier around his eyes, and he pushes it back with one hand. He glances up to my window, something he does every morning and then heads around his home to the shed. His day is no doubt destined to be filled with yard work.

Down stairs, Excella is waiting impatiently at the table. She has a plate of food set out beside her that I know is for me. Eggs, toast, and some sort of dark green vegetable that I assume is canned spinach. The smell is terrible. 

“I'm going to be sick,” I say, wrinkling my nose at the smell. 

“I told you the spinach was too much. The smell has made her sick!” Excella barks at Abby.

“No just give me a second. Maybe if I eat some of the toast first,” I say, trying to save Abby from Excella’s rampage. 

I reach for the toast and take a bite. Already I can feel the nausea subsiding. 

This little one has quite the appetite.

“The doctor said you needed more greens. You have to eat everything off the plate, or I'm going to tell the doctor you need to be given supplements.” 

I nod and continue to eat the toast. Those horse pills. I was given some at the beginning of the pregnancy because I was too thin. They made me feel nauseated and lightheaded. I kept remembering how Claire had had to go to the hospital for weeks because of nausea and overall poor health at the beginning of her pregnancy. I didn't want that to be me. Hooked up to machines where they would monitor me and the baby. 

So instead I sat at the table and let Excella throw her vague threats at me. 

God I would kill for some strawberry jam, but I try not to think about it and instead focus on not puking. I put a few mushy leaves of spinach on my toast and try to pretend it's strawberries. 

The kitchen door opens, letting in the crisp air. 

“Morning ladies,” Leon says. He goes around the kitchen grabbing some coffee and toast. His sleeves to his sweater are rolled up just below his elbows. 

He leans against the counter for a total of three seconds before Abby is dramatically showing him the light in the pantry that keeps flickering. He goes with her to see what she is gesturing at, which leaves Excella and myself alone at the table. 

“How is the baby doing?” Excella asks me. 

“Good,” I don't tell her about the pain in my back, or the heartburn, because she really doesn't care. She just wants to know that the baby is alive. That ‘her baby’ hasn't encountered any trouble. 

I don't tell her about the flutter. Partly because she doesn't deserve to know. Also because I'm not even sure if I actually felt anything. It seems too early to have been able to feel anything, but two nights ago, as I was laying in bed, I had felt a gentle flutter in my gut. It lasted maybe a second and hasn't happened since, but I’m sure that it was movement. 

“You have a doctors appointment this week. We might be able to see the gender, so I think Albert will most likely be joining me for the appointment,” Excella says. 

Oh goody. It doesn't go over my head how she said he would be joining her. Like she's the one who's going to be poked. She's the one who's expecting. It's her way of removing me from the equation in her brain. 

“Alright,” I respond. 

We sit in awkward silence. She keeps her eyes on me probably waiting to see if I finish all of my food. 

“Also, you should go outside today. Fresh air and sunlight would be good. ,” she continues. 

“That would be nice,” I say. It would be. I actually get excited about the possibility of just sitting in the sunlight. 

My conversations with Excella are exclusively about the baby. Ever since I asked her how she planned to get me out and she told me she would let me know when the time was right, I've decided to not trust her. She seemed like she was keeping something from me. I didn't let on that Leon had told me what Wesker wanted with the baby, or that I knew the fate that I would suffer after giving birth. The less she thinks I know the better. 

Leon and Abby come back out of the pantry. 

“Yeah I'll get it fixed today ok Abby, right after I finish fixing that gutter. If we get rain that thing is going to come down and hurt someone” he says. Abby gives him a gentle shove and he smiles. A big goofy grin. 

“Abby, that reminds me, I need for you to do some cleaning in one of the guest rooms. We need to start getting it ready for the baby. Let me show you,” she stands up and Abby follows behind her as she leads her to the room.

I try to focus on my food, and ignore the fact that she is preparing a room for my baby, and didn't even ask if I wanted to help. She doesn't even care. Not that she would. That wasn't the deal we made. I agreed to give him up when the time came, no questions asked. 

“What's that smell?” Leon asks. I look up from my plate and see Leon pinching his nose. He looks disgusted and I laugh.

“It's this canned spinach. You know folic acid is supposed to be good for babies,” I joke.

“That spinach smells like it might have been dipped in acid before it was canned. Good lord that is awful,” he says while making a fake gagging sound.

“You think the smell is bad, it tastes even worse,” I say with a laugh.

“Surely they don't really expect you to eat that,” he says with a playful grimace.

“I'll give you 20 bucks if you eat it for me,” I say. I forgot how easy talking to him was. It's crazy how quickly I can slip back into joking with him.

He makes a face, “You’re going to have to sweeten the deal a little more that 20 bucks, I mean my body could go into shock if I eat that,” he replies.

“Sweeten the deal? What do you have in mind?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. My flirtation coming out without me really thinking about it. 

“You come out to my house tonight, and I’ll eat every last piece of toxic spinach off your plate,” he says leaning against the refrigerator. He looks so handsome. The sun has already started to bring some color back to his face. His muscled forearms creating a distraction.

“I don't know. Excella keeps a pretty close eye on my movements these days,” I say. He gives me a fake frown. His bottom lip puckering out, and his eyebrows pulling together like an actual puppy.

I think for a second. I want to go. I've missed him, but I'm nervous. Not only that Excella will see me, but Leon already has it in his brain that he's the father. He's right, but if he knows…

_ He will hate you and you aren't ready to have him hating you… _

Not only will he hate me, but if he knows that I knew, and I used him, he might not help me. He might find it hard to trust me.

_ Not that you deserve his trust… _

“ Plus, I'm getting pretty bloated these days Leon,” I throw in trying to make it seem like the reason I haven't been out to see him is because of me not feeling very sexy, “ I don't know if you would really want my company,” i say in a whisper, giving him a sly smile. 

He takes the plate from in front of me suddenly, and shovels the spinach onto a piece of toast and eats it in three bites. He pinches his nose to try and lessen the effect of the goop, then shoves the plate back in front of me. 

“You look beautiful,” he whispers, “Also, I miss you and we need to talk,” he says. 

Before exiting, he makes a big show of turning around and saying loud enough for everyone in the house to hear, “Wow Ms. Saddler you really put that spinach away!” 

He gives me one last grin and a wink before closing the door and leaving me alone in the kitchen. He opens the door and I catch one last look at that big goofy grin, and try to ignore the flutter in my stomach. 

\--------------------

I have to fight not to fall asleep. At first it was impossible to go to sleep. A mixture of hormones and anxiety causing me to not sleep at all. However , these days I am so exhausted that I typically fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. But I fight that urge. I wait for the house to be silent. 

When I step outside, Leon’s porch light is on. I hesitate before knocking. This is crossing a boundary. 

Leon answers the door and my worry leaves me. I try to ignore the thumping of my heart. 

_ Hormones, Ada. Nothing but hormones.  _

“Hey come in,” he says. I step inside and am reminded of how safe his little home feels for me. It feels more like my home than the mansion ever has. I take a seat in one of the chairs. He closes the door, and locks it behind him. 

I make my way to the table and sit down. He offers me a glass of water and I take it.

“I might have found a way to get you out of here,” he says quickly. Like he had been holding it in all day, and just had to get it out of him. 

“Really?” I ask.

“I found someone. Well maybe,” he hesitates, “Let me explain. You know how Abby gets food smuggled in?”

I nod. I remember that man I saw all those months ago. How he had been talking about the underground. 

“Well I ‘’bumped’ into him the other night and asked if he had any knowledge about smuggling things out. He didn't really say anything at first, but after a few threats he gave me someone's name.” he says with a satisfied smile.

“You threatened someone?” I reply.

“Yeah, I can be very persuasive,” he says with a wink, “anyways, I talked to this person and he said that there are a group of people in Canada that have been smuggling people out of here, but it's kinda risky, and they don't do it often.”

“When would be the next time they would come by?” 

“Five months from now,” he says. 

“I’m due in five months…” I say. The timeline would complicate things. If I go into labor before then I might not be alive to be smuggled out.

“I know. Like I said it's risky, but it's my best lead so far. If you go into labor before…” he trails off and looks at me. He seems almost disappointed in himself. 

“Thank you,” I say. I mean it. It's more than I had expected.

He sits beside me at the table and scratches at one of his shoulders. I see the worry in his eyes. I can practically see the wheels turning as he tries to figure out his next move.

“You want to feel something?” I ask. The flutter in my stomach. I felt it again. It was tiny, but I know I felt it. 

He looks at me puzzled. 

“Give me your hand,” I say quickly.

He does and I guide my belly. It's a long shot, but the flutter is there. Deep within me. I press his hand into my belly maybe a little harder than I should. 

“I don't feel,” but he stops. He feels it. 

“Crazy right?” I say with a laugh, “at first I thought maybe I was making it up, but you feel it right?”

We are quiet. He is still, waiting to feel it again, but the flutter has stopped.

“Ada…” he chokes on his words. 

“Don't get all sappy on me,” I say, releasing his hand, expecting him to pull away, but he doesn't; he keeps his hand there hoping to feel the flutter again.

“You're the only other person who has felt it, so don't go around talking about it,” I say.

“Really? You haven't let Excella feel? Or Wesker?” he asks. 

“Of course not. I think I want to keep it my little secret for now, well now our secret.”

“Thank you,” he says. 

We sit in silence again. Leon chews at his lip. The silence is not uncomfortable tho. If anything it's peaceful.

“I’m happy you came out tonight,” he says, “I've missed you.”

“Missed being angry and lonely,’ I say with a scoff and a smile.

“No. I've missed you. Your company. Your sass.” he says and I give him a playful nudge. 

“You know there's a chance the baby is mine right?” Leon says softly. Almost like he didn't mean for me to hear.

I don't say anything back. The baby is his. There's no way it isn't. He doesn't know that, but I do and I can't tell him that I now. That I used him. That I offered up our baby to Wesker and Excella in exchange for my freedom. He would hate me if he knew. 

“Even if it isn't,” he continues, “that doesn't change the way I feel about you. I still promise to get you both out of here.” 

“Leon,” he stops me from saying anything by leaning forward and pressing his lips against mine. Its gentle, but the fire inside me is intense. I've missed his touch. His smell. His kiss. 

He pulls away too soon and I'm left wanting more. 

He stands up and offers me a hand. I stand up and lean into him. His hand goes to my cap and releases my hair. He buries his calloused hands into it, and angles my face so that I'm looking directly into his eyes. 

“You make things so difficult,” I say.

I mean it. He does. This shouldn't be so hard. When I made the deal with Excella, I had no problem using Leon, but he has proven time and time again to be so careging and determined to protect me. He has shown me how much he cares, and I've done nothing but betray the trust he has put in me. 

The hormones make my eyes tear up, but before I can start crying, Leon is kissing me again. This time I kissed him back. Urgently. As if it's the last time I'll ever meet his lips. The last time he will kiss me. 

I give him a gentle push and he steps back. Once. Twice. Until his legs hit the edge of his bed and he is forced to sit on the edge. 

I crawl into his lap. My arms go over his shoulders and his hands find my waist. I lean in, inches away from his lips when he asks, “Is this ok?” 

“Yes,” I say without hesitation. 

He closes the space and we kiss until I'm gasping for air. His shirt is the first thing to go. He unzips my dress and peppers kisses along my collar bones. 

Every move he makes sends waves through my body. I missed him so much, and with each touch he lets me know how much he missed me. 

It feels so good. Every touch. He kisses me until I can't even remember why I had denied myself his touch to begin with. 


	21. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. New Year, same inconsistant upload schedule. I have been really trying to find motivation to write, but knowing that the story is coming to an end has got me feeling kinda sad. That being said, thank you everyone that has left a comment or left kudos. It means the world to me!

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Wesker. It's a boy,” the male nurse says pointing to the fuzzy grey and black screen.

I think about how since I first learned I was pregnant, I referred to the little bean as a boy. And as I look at the screen and see him I have to fight the emotion that wells inside of me. 

_ Save it for when you're alone, Ada.  _

Excella starts crying. Wesker doesn't say anything. The only sign that he approves is the heavy hand he places on my shoulder and the subtle curve of his mouth. The closest thing to a smile.

“Well done,” he says, before standing up and going for the door. He straightens his black suit and adjusts his sunglasses, “Mr.Kennedy will be waiting for you two. I have to get back to work,” he says before leaving the room. 

The nurse cleans my stomach off, and offers Excella a series of pictures of my boy. As if I’m some bystander who ended up in the wrong room. She clutches them to her chest. 

“Albert Xavier Wesker the Second,” she says while staring longingly at pictures of my uterus. 

_ Good lord is that the name? He’s going to get picked on with a name like that. _ I think to myself.

“Have you felt any movement?” the doctor asked me. I shake my head no, “Well you are getting around that time. You should start to feel flutters so keep on the lookout for that,” he says, but he’s looking at Excella and not me. 

He continues to tell Excella information on what to expect in the upcoming weeks. I don't listen. What's the point? I'm kept on such a short leash there's no point in remembering anything the doctor says. Excella has taken over the pregnancy and I just sit back and let it happen. 

Instead I think about the little boy growing inside me. Chubby and clumsy. Dark hair and eyes, but a goofy little grin. 

“Are you ready?” Excella asks, breaking me out of my daydream. She's standing up and waiting for me to get up from the table. 

I nod and adjust my dress and follow her through the hallways. 

Outside, Leon is waiting by the car. By the time I get to the vehicle I'm out of breath. And my feet are starting to ache. I think about Ms. Saddler who always looked so happy and perky during her pregnancy. Being pregnant looked so good on her, but I feel out of breath and bloated constantly. 

“How did it go?” Leon asks once we are in the car. 

“Oh wonderfully. We are going to have a little boy. Albert Xavier Wesker the Second,” Excella coos. She has all but forgotten that I was in the car. She shoves the pictures in Leon's face so that he can look. He offers her a smile.

“That is… a name,” he says. Excella doesn't even register his words, she's too busy looking at the photos. I catch his eyes in the rearview mirror, and I know that his comment was meant for me. I smile. I can only imagine what he really thinks about the name. Probably the same thing I'm thinking. 

When we get home Excella monopolizes all of Abby's time. They go to the second floor of the mansion to continue decorating and preparing the nursery. A room I have not seen. A room that I am not allowed to go into. 

Leon is outside so that's where I go. He gets to working on the greenhouse. Getting it prepped for the warmer season.

I walk in and he’s covered in dirt. He's hefting a large bag of soil and boring it into the elevated flower beds.. When I walk in he stops and smiles at me. That big goofy grin I've grown fond of. 

“Congratulations,” he says, “a boy.” 

He uses the back of his hand to brush some hair out of his eyes, but it only manages to leave a line of dirt across his forehead. 

“Albert Xavier Wesker the Second,” I say mimicking Excella’s accent. Leon laughs. 

“Surly she knows that a name like that is going to get the kid beat up on the playground,” Leon jokes. I laugh with him. 

“They really aren't good at picking names,” I say.

Leon kneels down and starts rearranging some pots. I lean against a table and watch him work for a while. His shirt rides up as he places some items on one of the higher shelves and I fight the urge to bite my lip. 

“You know, once you two are rescued from here, you will get to give him a new name,” Leon says breaking me from my thoughts.

I think about it for a moment. The thought hadn't crossed my mind. My plan of escape extends to the moment that I'm free and nothing past that. I will get to name him. 

“I haven't even thought about that,” I confess. My hand finds my growing belly and I look down. 

A part of me knows that I have not allowed myself to think of that becauseI fear it will only cause the longing feeling inside me to grow even more. 

“Really?” he says puzzled, “Well I mean now you kinda have to. You don't want your son to be walking around with a bad name the rest of his life do you?” he jokes. 

“Hm,” I think for a second, “do you have any suggestions?” I say. The comment seems to catch him off guard, because he stops what he's doing and furrows his brow. He seems to really be thinking hard. 

“I don't know,” he stands up and leans against one of the flower beds, “you don't want him to have a name that's too big. Like Leonard. That's a big name for a baby to handle,” he says. 

“Leonard? Yeah, no, that's kinda terrible,” I say with a laugh. 

“Hey now, my full name is Leonard Scott Kennedy, it's not  _ that _ bad,” he says while putting his hand on his chest. Pretending like I've seriously offended him, but his smile lets me know he's just playing. 

“Really? I wouldn't have guessed your name was Leonard. That name seems so formal and serious. The name of a real intellectual type guy,” I joke, giving him a smirk. 

He walks over to me slowly. His mouth slightly agape, but a twinge of a smirk on the edges. 

“You saying you don't like my name, Wong?” he says while leaning over me and resting his hands on both sides of the table, effectively trapping me in my place. His face mere inches from mine. I can't help but let my eyes wander to his arms. They are covered in dirt, but I can see his muscles ripple beneath the layer of grime. His face is inches from mine. 

“I was simply implying that I like Leon better. I wouldn't dare make fun of your name, Kennedy,” I say. 

He smiles at me again and then kisses me. I lean into it and smile against his lips. 

“You stink,” I say between kisses. His mouth trails down my neck. I laugh at the way his scruff tickles the sensitive skin there. His hands leave the table and find my waist and he presses himself against me. 

Someone gasps.

We pull away from each other so fast you would have thought one of us had gotten whiplash.

We turn to look at the doorway. 

Standing there is Abby. Her expression is shocked. She’s carrying some old boxes, but she stands there staring at us. 

“Hey Abby, uhm... you need me to get those from you?” Leon stutters out. He puts his hands on his waist trying to act as casual as possible. 

Abby hesitates for a moment before putting the frames down at the doorway and nodding. 

“Abby, we were just…” I start to say. I cant form words. This is bad. I have thought before that maybe she was suspicious, but until now she didn't have any verifiable proof. But now Abby has seen us. 

She shakes her head though. She points to her eyes and then shakes her head as if to say she is going to pretend she didn't see anything. 

She walks out as quickly and quietly as she had come in.

I look at Leon. His cheeks are red and he's biting his lip. 

“Leon…” I start to say.

“It’s ok. Abby has been here as long as I have. She won't say anything,” he says trying to reassure me. He walks to where Abby dropped the boxes and brings them into the greenhouse. 

I nod my head. I want to believe him, but he doesn't look me in the eye. He's scared. 

\-------------------

Weeks pass without incident. My belly grows, Excella continues to pretend I don't exist in all aspects of talking about the baby. Everything is going according to her plan.

I live in stolen moments with Leon. Since our run in with Abby we do our best to only touch or interact at night. When I sneak out to his home he tells me about his day. He updates me on what he has heard as far as escape for me and little man. 

We develop a list of baby names we like, which isn't very many. Our list of names we hate is longer, but we talk about it anyways. It helps me and I think it helps Leon in some way. Despite him being unaware of him being the dad, talking about it seems to light him up. It gives him something to think about that doesn't pertain to trying to survive. 

I think it's unfair of me. To sit there and talk about it. Talk about how I don't get a say in my own pregnancy, all while i pretend to not know that he's the father. I'm being selfish, but I tell myself it's for the best. 

He listens to me. I tell him about Excella and how she pretends I don't exist. How I hate the way she feels like it's her right to touch my stomach whenever she feels like. I show him the little black and white picture of the ultrasound that I managed to swipe when Excella wasn't looking. 

When I gave it to him, he stared at it for a long time. I noticed that he kept it. That he conveniently forgot to give it back to me, which I don't mind. I don't like to look at it for too long. It makes me sad

I imagine he looks at it when I'm not around. Longs to know whether or not it's his baby. I imagine he's wondering how the baby will look. I imagine he remembers his sister and his mother, and the pain and loss he has experienced. 

We end our nights with me tossing and turning trying to get comfortable as my belly grows and him running his fingers up and down my spine. His breath in my hair. I savor every second of it. 

Then one night, I wake up to the sound of something breaking. 

It had been raining so I opted to stay inside. Wesker has gone out of town on business, and Excella was on the war path for some reason. I could hear her for hours downstairs pouring herself drinks in the kitchen. By the time she went to bed it was at least midnight. 

Only a few minutes after I hear her stagger into her room did I hear the sound of glass shattering. 

I lay in bed for a moment. Maybe I had imagined it. 

But then I hear yelling. Exella's voice cuts through the dark. She's yelling at someone and she seems pissed.

I throw my feet off the bed and pull my nightgown on. I don't bother with the cap. 

When I get down stairs I stop abruptly at the sign before me. 

Standing in the kitchen is Excella, her robe flying open and her hair a mess. Even from here I can smell the liquor she's been pouring. 

In the doorway is Abby. It appears she might have been pushed, because she is sprawled on the floor halfway between the open door and the kitchen table, and she's surrounded by broken glass. 

“What's going on?” 

Out of the darkness of the backyard, I see Leon appear. He's holding a gun in one hand, no doubt thinking we were under attack. 

“Leon, grab Abby, she's been letting someone onto our property,” Excella slurs. 

Leon hesitates, but gently helps Abby up by the arm. Excella brings a notepad and paper and tosses it on the table. Leon gently guides Abby to sit. I can see her shoulders shake.

“Who was that man,” Excella asks. she wants Abby to write down her response. 

Abby seems as if she could crawl into her own skin. She's shrinking and her lower lip trembles with fear. She looks at me and I feel her fear. 

“WHO WAS HE!” Excella yells while slamming a fist on the table. Abby lets out a little shriek, but takes the pen in her hand. She scribbles something on the paper and then Excella looks at it. 

“A black market smuggler,” Excella reads, “why were you allowing this man onto our property? If people know that we are letting smugglers onto our property do you know what they will say?” Excella looks at me, “how do you know he is not dangerous. What if he was one of the terrorists. He could have hurt my baby.”

Excella gets into Abby’s face, “Do you have any idea what you have done? The crime? What else have you been keeping from me?” her voice is like venom and I see it seep into Abby. Her hands tremble as she reaches for the pen again.

She scribbles on the notepad. Something long.

Excella takes the pad of paper and reads it.

“Leon and Ms. Wesker are having an affair. Caught them together. In the green house,” she reads. 

I feel the blood train from my face. 

_ Abby no… _

For a moment I think that maybe I heard wrong. Why would she say that to Excella right now? But when I look at Abby I see that she's desperate. She knows the penalty of allowing the smuggler into the home, and telling Excella about us as a last resort for her. A way to distract from her crime. She did it to save herself. 

But the shock of it leaves me dizzy. This was not how I thought this was going to be revealed. 

Leon's face matches mine. His mouth opens and I can see the fear and worry in his eyes. This is it. 

Excella is the only one in the room who does not seem surprised. She starts to laugh, which only makes my pulse race faster. 

“You think i don't know?” Excella states. She rips the piece of paper from the notepad and rips it up, throwing the shreds into the trash can. 

Abby looks confused. 

“If they weren't having a relationship I wouldn't have my child. Ms. Wesker and I made a deal. Wesker can't have kids, so she sleeps with Mr. Kennedy, I get her baby, and she gets her freedom,” she says with a smirk. Her words are slurred together and she's speaking softly, but no one has trouble hearing her words. 

It's silent. I can hear my heart pounding into my ears. There's no way this is happening. Not right now. Not in front of Leon. 

_ Goodbye… _

I look at Leon, but instantly regret it. 

You would have thought that I shot him. 

The look of betrayal controls his features. His eyes search mine. Wanting me to deny it. Wanting to believe that I would not betray him that way. 

But I look away, confirming his worst thoughts of me. 

I'm a monster, and now he sees it with his own eyes. 

“I'm not concerned with them,” Excella says, unaware of the damage that has been done, “what I am concerned about is that you have let a blackmarket dog onto my property, and think that it is ok,” Excella walks to the sink and leans against it. She's thinking. Calculating. 

“Wesker will not know about what has happened,” she says, “Leon will take Abby to the prison. Tell them of her crimes, but make sure that she doesn't let on about what has been revealed to her about you and Ms. Wesker’s relationship. If Wesker finds out about this it will be bad for all of us,” Excella explains. She’s surprisingly calm. 

“Excella, if I take her there she will be…” Leon starts to protest. 

“You don't think I know that. If she stays here she will tell Wesker. If Wesker finds out you will all be dead,” Excella pauses, but smiles before continuing, “Better her than my baby.” 

She doesn't even bother looking at Abby. She couldn't care less. 

“Excella , Abby won't tell anyone,” I say to try and protest. 

“I'm sure that's what the two of you thought when she caught you two,” Excella quips. It shuts me up.

“Take her now, Mr. Kennedy. Before I call someone else to come and retrieve her,” she sits at the table as if this whole process has been exhausting for her. Sending someone to their potential death, nothing more than a minor inconvenience. 

Leon hasn't looked at me this whole time. The guilt inside of me is rising. Not only have I betrayed him, but now he is being forced to take his friend to a prison where they will likely hang her when they learn she has been dealing with the blackmarket. 

He gently takes Abbt out of the house, and I hear the car start. 

“You have been careless. Do you have any idea what would have happened if it were Wesker who found you instead of her?” Excella starts lecturing me, but I’ve stopped listening. 

The image of Leon learning the truth is seared into my brain. It will forever be a reminder of the person I truly am. Of how callously and carelessly I involved Leon in my plans. 

A person who has only tried to help me. Who promised to care about me and my baby even though he believed it could be someone else's. 

There's a sinking feeling in my gut. Like I'm falling. 

“I will inform Wesker of what has happened. I will of course leave you and Leon’s little... affair, out of it,” Excella says with a scoff.

“Why are you doing this,'' I ask. Trying to leave as little emotion in my voice as possible, “Leon and I have broken the rules. We should be getting punished…”

“Wesker will never know. He only wants a child that is capable of surviving a large amount of the virus. With you and Leon’s history of immunity to the virus it will yield the same result,” she explains matter of factly.

“What do you mean?” I ask. 

She hesitates for a moment. The events of the evening have sobered her up enough to where she can calculate what she is saying. 

“I was one of the learning scientists for Umbrella. You and Me. Kennedy are two of maybe 20 people that, as far as we know, were able to fight off the infection,” she explains, “unfortunately, not everyone that was immune lived so you are two very rare individuals.”

I remember those files on Wesker's computer. The pieces are starting to fall together now. It wasn't a coincidence that the two of us ended up in the same home once the world ended. 

“Two very special people, doing something Albert thought only he was capable of doing... It’s not a coincidence that you two are here. When I knew you were able to fight off the infection I came to you,” she looks up at me and gives me a cold smile, “Your child may not be Wesker's by blood, but he will be able to stand against the virus, and grow, and get strong as if he were his own son.”

“He's going to raise him in a lab. He will never have a normal childhood,” I almost pleaded with her. 

Excella thinks for a moment. I think that maybe I have struck a chord with her, but then she laughs. 

“We will be a family. That is all that matters,” and with that she stands up and leaves the kitchen. I hear her door to her bedroom close behind her. 

I go outside and check Leon's door. It's unlocked, so I go inside and sit down on the edge of the bed. It's strange. Despite how many nights I have spent in this room, I feel like an unwelcome guest. I feel out of place in a space that I have found so much solace. 

I wait for him to return. I have to explain myself to him. 

Hours pass. 

I stay sitting on the bed, contemplating what I'm going to say, but nothing I come up with feels right. Nothing feels like a good enough explanation. 

Just when I'm ready to retreat back to my room, I hear the door knob turn. Leon steps into the small home. His eyes rimmed with red, and he looks tired. He looks older. He looks broken. 

He stops in his tracks when he sees me sitting on his bed. I don't know what to do. He closes the door behind him, and I stand to walk over to him. 

But when I take a step forward, he holds a hand up. 

“Don't,” he says, his eyes trained on the ground. 

“Leon…” I try to plead.

“I just took Abby to a prison. A place that they may very well decide to hang her for her ‘crime’,” he says, “I drove her to her death. Do you have any idea what that feels like?” 

I don't respond. What can I say? 

“I did it to protect you… to protect my baby,” he continues. His voice catches on the last part. 

“Leon, she would have told Wesker…” I begin to try to explain myself. I try to justify Abby being hurt or killed. 

“Stop. Just stop,” he raises his voice, “I understand ok. I get it. She was going to tell Wesker about us. She would have told him that you made a deal with Excellla to give our baby to her in exchange for your freedom,” he looks at me with those sad eyes. With the weight of so much betrayal dimming their light.

“What I don't understand is how you could have used me this whole time. You knew all along. You knew that the baby was mine. You made a deal with Excella,” his words come spilling out. 

“She promised to let me escape Leon, you have to understand,” I protest.

“You could have told me Ada,” he looks at me, “I trusted you. I thought… I thought we were on the same side, but this whole time you've been working with her. Using me. Using my son…” his voice breaks off.

“I made that deal before…” 

“Before what? Before you realized that I cared about you enough to risk my own life to get you out of here? So that's it. I was just a pawn this whole time?” he says. 

“It's not that simple. I was just trying to do what I thought was best. I didn't know you, and how kind you were. I thought I was alone,” I try to explain, but even now as I say the words, I hear how shitty of an excuse it is. How awful my actions were. 

It's quiet. Neither of us know what to say. 

“Please leave,” he says finally.

I don't move. I wait for him to say something else. To look at me like I'm not a monster, but it doesn't come. He doesn't want me around him. He doesn't trust me. 

I step out into the night and the door closes behind me. I hear the lock. 

I put my hand on my stomach as i cross the yard into the house. 

I truly feel alone now. 


	22. As the World Falls Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello strangers!  
> Guys, let me go ahead and tell you that 2021 has been off to a rough start!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello strangers!  
> Guys, let me go ahead and tell you that 2021 has been off to a rough start!   
> First of all, I got sick with a certain virus that with go unnamed *cough* covi *cough*. Luckily, my husband and I are fine, but it was definitely not something I was ready for! We are very fortunate, but I was basically a couch potato for two weeks.   
> Then, If you guys have been following the news, I live in Texas and we just experienced a Snowpocalypse. So we did not have power/internet/water for a week.   
> Aaaaaand, we adopted another dog. He's amazing but also a HANDFUL!  
> All of that to say, I really have been wanting to upload, but life has really been throwing me a few curve balls. But I'm back! I am inspired, I am feeling good and healthy and I am so ready to be uploading chapters again!  
> This chapter was actually way longer, but I decided to cut it in half because it was SO long. Luckily that means that the next chapter should be up by next week (YAY)!   
> Thank you everyone that has been keeping up with me and have been commenting and giving kudos. You guys are the real MVPs!  
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Love y'all!

For the first time in almost two years, I'm invited to a party. 

A party not for me, but for my baby. The party is advertised as a baby shower for Excella, the expecting mother. 

If I wasn't carrying the baby, they wouldn't have bothered to invite me. But unfortunately the baby still relies on me so i guess they will just have to tolerate my presence for the evening. 

Which leads me to my next source of irritation. A baby shower that starts at 7 p.m. 

I don't think I’ve ever actually attended a baby shower, except for maybe one growing up that I vaguely remember. Little paper storks and finger sandwiches barley dance around my memory.

one thing, however, is for sure, it was not a night, and the people attending were not wearing ball gowns. Of course I'm still in my uniform. The red and white dress doing little to nothing to flatter my stomach. 

Excella on the other hand looks like she is about to step out onto a red carpet. An emerald gown that sweeps the floor and, as usual, plunges to reveal her ample chest. She even had someone come and do her hair and makeup. She looks gorgeous of course. I can't deny it. I can't help but feel like a little bit of a frumpy house cat next to her. 

I remind myself that if I wasn't forced to wear this ridiculous uniform, and if I could have my hair down and my makeup done it would be no competition. Ada Wong was always the most attractive in the room, whether by looks, or by the confidence that I once oozed. 

But alas, I sit by the door, out of breath from walking down the stairs, and rubbing my belly through the thick polyester of a dress that smells like dust. 

“I swear Wesker takes longer than I do to get ready,” Excella sighs as she takes another look in the mirror by the entrance. 

“I'm sure he just has to make sure that his black coat matches his black socks perfectly,” I reply. 

My comment actually makes Excella giggle. It's strange how our relationship has changed. For the past almost three months since Abby left us, Excella is the only person who I have actually had conversations with. 

My stomach turns at the thought. 

_ Don't think about it Ada… _

Almost as if on cue, the backdoor opens and I hear the Leon's footsteps in the kitchen. They aren't the familiar stomp of workbooks. He steps into the entranceway and I see that he has dressed up for the occasion as well. Navy pants with a white button down, neatly tucked in. He looks so good without even trying.

_ Damn it, Kennedy. _

I'm reminded of that night he drove Wesker and I to the arena. His hair is brushed back and his face clean of stubble, but he doesn't look at me. There's no smile on his face or warmth in his eyes. He's strictly business. 

_ Two can play at that game. _

I stare out the window, I try to look as aloof as possible. I would never want him to think that I miss him. Or that I burn for him to talk to me. To look at me. To trust me. 

“We ready to get going?” he asks Excella. 

“The ladies are, but we are still waiting for Albert,” she responds. 

If she remembers anything about that night, she doesn't let on about it. This leads me to believe that she must have been pretty drunk that night and she just honestly doesn't remember. At least I hope that's the case. 

“I'll get the car started,” He says to Excella and then walks outside. Not even an acknowledgement of my existence. 

He’s made it abundantly clear that our alliance is over. 

_ It's fine. Im fine. Ada Wong does not beg for attention. I don't seek out validation and empathy from anyone… _ I try to convince myself. 

But, damn do I miss him.

“Wesker, we need to go. We are going to be late,” Excella calls. 

I hear the bedroom door open and close and Wesker appears. As expected, he's wearing his usual all black ensemble. 

“Marie, bring us our coats please,” he calls. 

Marie, the new housekeeper scurries out of the hallway. She's older than Abby by at least a decade, but the same fear of the Weskers is apparent in the way she keeps her head down. She's been here for weeks, and she hasn't talked to me. It makes me miss Abby, despite her betrayal. 

She goes into the closet and pulls out our coats. We heard the car where Leon is waiting. He opens the door and we pile in. 

I stare out the window again. Even though it is getting dark, there is not much to look at. I need to just not look into the rearview mirror.. Before, I used to constantly check it. Looking for some type of reassurance from him. We had gotten so good at silently communicating. Leon would look back at me and smile secretly. 

But now I stare out the window and pretend I don't miss it. 

\--------------------

We pull up to a mansion. The drive was longer than expected. The car weaved around roads and the forest became more and more dense. The house sits nestled atop a hill, surrounded by trees. It reminds me of the summers that Claire, Jill and I used to spend hiking through the mountains. 

I don't know whose home it is, I just know that they are the ones hosting the baby shower for us. There are several other cars parked out front and I see a few other women in gowns exiting. They are accompanied by guards and their husbands. I'm surprised to even see a few other women in my same uniform. 

I grimace at how steep the walk is just to the front door. There's a large staircase that leads to the door and I just know my swollen ankles are in for a bad time. 

“Let's hope that this shower is not as tacky as the last one we came to,” Excella says as she gets out of the car. 

“The Mize family is one of the most powerful in the nation, I'm sure they have pulled out all of the stops for our party,” Wesker replies. He holds his hand out to me to help me out of the car, I don't take it. The mere thought of touching him makes me want to gag. Instead I lunge forward and place both hands on my stomach to make it seem that I'm concerned about the belly and not sick at the thought of touching him. 

As expected the walk up the stairs is a workout. Excella, even in her gown and heels, passes me alongside Wesker and they all but forget about me halfway up. I'm aware of Leon's presence behind me though. It almost makes me smile. Maybe he doesn't hate me completely after all. 

We walk to the house and are immediately greeted by an ambush of gorgeous women. I try to cover up the fact that I'm out of breath, but realize that the woman wouldn't even notice my breathing. They are all focused on my stomach. 

All of them are dressed similarly to Excella. Their hair and makeup done and their dresses looking like they must have been expertly designed. I do what I do best and i sink into the chaos. I try to blend in.

After they get a good look at me their focus turns back to Excella and i hear several of them congratulate her, and Excella is soaking up all of the attention. 

I walk around the entrance way and make my way into the formal living room where soft music plays and I can hear the crackling of a fire. The table is decorated with different shades of gold and red making the baby shower look more like initiation night of a cult. 

I smile at the thought and make my way to the food table. It's funny how I've been forced to eat canned spinach when this table is covered in fruits and dips and glasses with champagne. I fix myself a plate with fruit and chocolate and am ready to disappear into a corner for the rest of the night. 

However my attempt to disappear among the gaggle of ladies is short lived. Almost as soon as I find a quiet corner to snack, Excella has found me and she's pulling me back out into the chaos of people.

Ladies and men alike take turns touching my belly. I've never been very claustrophobic, but something about having all these people around me and touching me makes my head spin. My heart starts to beat faster and I try my best to breathe evenly. 

“Wow, this is going to be a big boy you can just tell by the size of her,” one man comments. 

_ Rude… _

“Excella you are so lucky, a little boy on your first try? Wesker's genes are strong that's for sure,” a lady comments. 

_ Wesker's shooting blanks ma’am _ , I say to myself with a smirk. 

“Oh yes of course, I had no doubt in my mind that Wesker’s first born would be a boy,” Excella lies. I smile to myself. I think in another life maybe Excella and I could have been friends. We both have such a knack for lying. For doing what needs to be done. 

Across the room something catches my eye. 

Standing against one of the back walls is a woman in a uniform similar to mine. Her cap covers her hair completely, but the green eyes greet me like an old friend. 

_ Claire… _

“Excella, I’m feeling like I'm going to barf. I need to sit down and eat something," I say bluntly. I think it throws everyone off because the ladies take a step back and the men all grimace. No one wants to be anywhere near me at the thought of me blowing chunks all over their designer dresses and suits. 

“Of course, yes, Go have yourself a snack and a sit,” Excella laughs it off trying to save face.

I make a bee line to where Claire is. Luckily no one pays me too much attention to me. They are all too busy swarming Excella with questions about ‘her’ baby. I'm able to stand next to her without anyone raising an eye.

“Well, momma, you look huge,” she says with a smirk.

“You're the one to talk,” I respond quickly. Her belly is twice the size of mine. I don't know much about babies, but she looks ast due. 

“Yeah well I think I wear it better than you do,” she says sarcastically while she pokes her stomach, “Look we cant talk for to long,” she hesitates for a second before looking over at me and smiling, “It’s really fucking good to see you though,” she says.

“Back at you,” I reply. 

“I'm glad I got to see you one more time,” she throws in. She says it quietly, almost like she didn't want me to hear it, but I did and I raised an eyebrow.

“One more time before what?” I question her. 

“I'm sorry, if I had known this was your shower I maybe could have arranged for you to be taken out as well,” she admits, “If Christ knew it was you he would have found a way to get us both out.” 

“Chris is the one getting you out?” I ask, surprised. 

“Yeah, crazy right? Once he knew where I was and that I was pregnant he made getting me out of here his top priority. That's why tonight might be a bit of a shit show,” she says with a laugh. 

It suddenly dawns on me what she's saying. Something is going to happen tonight. I don't know what and I don't know when, but Claire has arranged for her to be rescued tonight, and with Chris involved i have no doubt it's not going to be a quiet affair. 

“It's ok,” I say. It is. Being mad at her is pointless. If roles were reversed i would have done the same thing.

“Ada, I don't know what he has planned. He just told me where I needed to be and when. The rest of this… the distraction he has planned...'' She looks around to make sure no one is around to hear us, “when things start going crazy, don't try to stick around. Get as far away as possible.”

I smile. Claire never really knew that I was a spy, but she also knew that I was pretty smart and tough. I smile at her and roll my eyes.

“I'm serious. All those bombings have been people distracting others from rescue missions. There's no telling what's going to happen,” she says in a very serious tone. 

“I get it clear. Once shit hits the fan, run like hell,” I give her a nudge. 

We are both quiet for a second. I notice a few people taking seats in the living room. It looks like they are preparing for some sort of baby shower game. 

“You need to get out of here before you give birth, if you don't…” she doesn't finish her sentence. She doesn't need to. 

“I know,” I say. I Know what will happen. 

“I'll do what I can from the other side, but I can't promise you much. Even the chances of me getting out tonight successfully are slim, but i'll talk to Chris. Maybe he can arrange something.”

“It's ok. Don't worry about me, Claire. I'm like a cat. I've got nine lives,” I try to reassure her, despite the fact that I'm not really sure I believe it myself. 

She rolls her eyes and smiles, but the worry is still clear on her face. 

“How long before you're due?” 

“A little less than three months,” I respond. It seems like a long time, but the closer I get the less time I feel like I have. 

I want to say so much more, but I can hear Excella calling my name. Claire walks away and I'm left standing alone again. 

“What are you doing Ms. Wesker? I thought you needed to find something to eat?” she says, a little annoyed.

“I did, but I couldn't find the kitchen,” I lie. She eyes me skeptically. Debating whether it's worth it to call out my lie. She decides against it and instead gestures for me to follow her. I do.

The evening passes. I'm forced to sit in a circle and watch as Excella opens gifts for my baby.The woman coo and aw and I do my best not to roll my eyes at every mention of the name Albert Xavier Wesker Jr. 

I subconsciously look around the room. Looking for Leon. I haven't seen him all night. I wonder if he even stayed, or if he wasn't allowed to attend the party, but I see other guards present. 

I think about Claire. Something is going to happen tonight. I fear that it's going to be some sort of explosion. An attack. But the chances of that happening and of her getting injured seem slim. Not to mention the fact that she said that Chris had to throw this whole rescue mission together quickly. 

Either way, I have to admit that i'm worried. I keep looking over my shoulder, trying to see signs of something bad. What if something goes wrong? What if she gets caught?

Occasionally I see Claire out of the corner of my eye, causing my body to tense up. For the most part, however, i'm too involved in the party to pay too close attention to what's happening around me. 

Right when I feel like maybe the party is going to start winding down, I'm surprised by the clinking of glass. I tense up for a second thinking that maybe this is it, but am surprised to hear Wesker's voice. 

“If I could have your attention,” Wesker says. 

Everyone turns their head to where he is standing with his glass raised. “I promised Excella that tonight would be strictly about the baby, but as you all know, as head of the Umbrella Corporation, I can't quite help mixing business with pleasure.”

I look to Excella. She smiles playfully, but I see, for a second, annoyance in her eyes. Whatever he's about to do, she did not know about. 

“If you all wouldn't mind adjourning to the back deck, I have a demonstration for everyone,” he says while turning on his heel. 

I follow slowly behind the crowd. 

I hear a few of the men in the crowd. They whisper back and forth and I can barely make out what they are saying, but I hear the words “arena” and “good show” and my stomach turns. 

I think back on the arena. That terrible monster that attacked those two people. How wesker smiled in satisfaction as he watched them be ripped apart. 

The deck is massive. The is lit up with hanging lights making it almost look like a fairy garden. I see that the house is built on some sort of hillside. You can just barely make out the tree line below. Wesker stands at the edge and everyone cranes their necks to get a good look at him. 

I stay close to the door though. My gut tells me that something is off. I would much prefer to have an easy axis to the house. I lean against the door frame and look around at the crowd. My breath hitches for a moment when I see Leon's head a few people in front of me. 

I watch him for a few seconds. He turns his head left and right like he's looking for something. He turns his neck behind him and we lock eyes. I don't think he was expecting me to see him, his eyebrows raising for just a split second. He nods at me, then turns around. He does look around anymore. 

_ Kennedy, were you looking out for me? _

“As you all know, the birth of my child is a pathway to a brighter future,” Wesker’s voice breaks me out of my thoughts, “A future where the Umbrella Corporation is more than just a savior. We have rid the world of death and destruction. We have given hope to those who thought it was the end, but it is only a matter of time before our power is tested.” 

The crowd shifts at his words. I can only really describe it as giddiness. It's like everyone is just on the edge of their seat. Ready and excited for what Wesker is going to say. 

“With the birth of my son, the possibilities for our power will be limitless,” Wesker says. I can't see him, but I can hear the smirk in his voice. 

“Witness, with your own eyes the power of my fam…” but he doesn't finish his sentence. There is a quivering in the ground. It's faint. If everyone was looking around with confusion on their face, I would think that maybe I didn't really feel it. It seems like everyone is holding their breath. Like we are all waiting to feel the quiver again. 

And thats when the earth seems to fall out from beneath my feet. 


End file.
